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THE  HERO'S  OWX  STORY. 


GENERAL  SHERMAN'S 

OFFICIAL    ACCOUNT 


GREAT  MARCH 


TI1110UGII  GEORGIA  AND  THE  CAROLINAS, 

FROM    HIS    DKI'ARfl  l;E     KliOM    CHATTANOOGA    TO    THE    SURRENDER   OF 

GENEIUL  JOHNSTON,  AND  THE  CONFEDERATE 
FORCES  UNDER  ins  COMMAND. 


To  WHICH  ARE  ADDED 

General  Sherman's    Evidence  before  the  Congressional  Committee  on  the 

Conduct  of  the  War;  the  Animadversions  of  Secretary  Stanton 

and  General  Halleck  ;  with  a  Defence  of  his  Proceedings,  &c. 


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GENERAL     SHERMAN'S 

OFFICIAL    ACCOUNT 

OF    nis 

GREAT   MARCH 

THROUGH  GEORGIA  AND  THE  CAROLINAS, 

FROM  HIS   DEPARTUEE  FEOM  CHATTANOOGA  TO  THE  SUR- 

EENDEE  OF  GENEEAL  JOSEPH  E.  JOHNSTON  AND 

THE  CONFEDERATE  FORCES  UNDER 

HIS   COMMAND. 

TO    WHICH    IS   ADDED, 

GENERAL    SHERMAN'S-  EVIDENCE    BEFORE   THE  CONGRESSIONAL 

COMMITTEE      ON      THE      CONDUCT      OF     THE      WAR  ; 

THE      ANIMADVERSIONS      OF      SECRETARY 

STANTON    AND    GENERAL    HALLECK  : 

WITH 

A   DEFENCE   OF   HIS   PROCEEDINGS,    ETC. 


NEW  YORK: 

BUXCB   &  HTJXTINGTOX,  PUBLISHERS. 
1865. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  one  thousand  eight  hundred 
and  sixty-five, 

BY    BUNCE    &    HUNTINGTON, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  Southern 
District  of  New  York. 


EENOTE,  SHEA  &  LINDSAY, 

C.    A.   ALVORD, 
bTEREOTYPERS   &   ELECTROTYPER9,  Primer, 

81,  83  &  83  Centrc-St.,  15  VANDKWATKR.CT. 

NEW  YORK. 


PREFACE. 


THE  national  interest  attached  to  General  Sherman's 
great  campaign  in  the  Southern  States, — one  of  the 
most  brilliant  and  remarkable  military  achievements 
in  history, — induces  the  publishers  to  present,  in 
readable  type  and  compact  form,  its  story  as  it  is 
told  in  the  words  of  the  gallant  hero.  The  narrative, 
to  adopt  the  comment  upon  it  of  a  military  critic, 
is  written  in  "a  terse,  vigorous,  and  picturesque 
style."  It  will  well  repay  perusal,  and  cannot  fail  to 
convince  the  reader  that  power  and  accuracy  of  de- 
scription are  not  among  the  least  accomplishments 
of  this  distinguished  soldier. 

To  render  the  record  complete,  General  Sherman's 
Official  Kep£>rt  is  followed  by  his  correspondence 
with  General  Joseph  E.  Johnston,  his  testimony  be- 
fore the  Congressional  Committee  on  the  Conduct  of 
the  War,  and*  official  and  other  animadversions  passed 
upon  him,  in  consequence  of  his  original  agreement 
with  General  Johnston.  The  latter  will  be  found 


Q  PKEFACE. 

fully  answered  in  a  defence  of  his  proceedings  sub- 
joined, attributed  to  the  pen  of  his  brother,  Senator 
Sherman,  as  well  as  in  the  Eeport  and  evidence  of 
the  General  himself 


CONTENTS. 


General  Sherman's  Official  Account  of  his  Great  March : 

PAGE 

T.     From  Chattanooga  to  Atlanta , 9 

Correspondence  with  the  authorities  of  Atlanta 56 

II.  From  Atlanta  to  Savannah,  through  the  heart  of  Georgia.  63 

III.  From  Savannah  to  Goldsboro',  through  the  Carolinas. . .  86 

IV.  The  close  of  the  campaign,  and  the  surrender  of  the  Con- 

federate forces  under  General  Joseph  E.  Johnston Ill 

Farewell  Address  to  his  Army 134 

Official  record  of  the  correspondence  relating  to  the  surrender 
of  the  Confederate  Army  under  General  Joseph  E.  Johnston.   137 

General  Sherman's  order  on  Peace 153 

General  Johnston's  address  to  the  people  of  the  Southern  States.  157 
General  Sherman's  examination  before  the  Congressional  Com- 
mittee on  the  Conduct  of  the  War,  relative  to  his  conference 

•with  General  Joseph  E.  Johnston 160 

Secretary  Stanton's  Official  War  Gazette 191 

Editorial  of  the  "New  York  Times  on  the  agreement  between 

Generals  Sherman  and  Johnston 196 

Dispatches  of  Secretary  Stanton  and  General  Halleck 200 

"  Sherman  and  Stanton" — a  Defence  of  General  Sherman's  pro- 
ceedings. . .  .* 201 

Call  for  the  assembling  of  the  Virginia  Legislature 209 

Letter  from  General  Sherman 213 


GENEKAL    SHEKMAN'S 

OFFICIAL  ACCOUNT 

OF   HIS 

GREAT    MARCH 

THROUGH  GEORGIA  AND  THE  CAROLINAS. 


FROM  CHATTANOOGA  TO  ATLANTA. 

HEADQUARTERS  MILITARY  DIVISION  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI, 
ATLANTA,  Ga.,  September  15,  1864. 

GENERAL — I  have  heretofore,  from  day  to  day,  by  tele- 
graph, kept  the  War  Department  and  the  General-in-Chief 
advised  of  the  progress  of  events ;  but  now  it  becomes 
necessary  to  review  the  whole  campaign  which  has  resulted 
in  the  capture  and  occupation  of  the  city  of  Atlanta. 

On  the  14th  day  of  March,  1864,  at  Memphis,  Tennessee, 
I  received  notice  from  General  Grant  at  Nashville  that  he 
had  been  commissioned  Lieutenant-General  and  Com- 
mander-in-Chief  of  the  Armies  of  the  United  States, 
which  would  compel  him  to  go  East,  and  that  I  had  been 
appointed  to  succeed  him  as  commander  of  the  Division  of 
the  Mississippi.  He  summoned  me  to  Nashville  for  a  con- 


10  GENERAL   SHERMAN^    GREAT   MARCH 

t 

Terence,  and  I  took  ray  departure  the  same  day,  and  reached 
Nashville,  via  Cairo,  on  the  17th,  and  accompanied  him  on 
his  journey  eastward  as  far  as  Cincinnati.  We  had  a  full 
and  complete  understanding  of  the  policy  and  plans  for  the 
ensuing  campaign,  covering  a  vast  area  of  country,  my  part 
of  which  extended  from  Chattanooga  to  Vicksburg.  I 
returned  to  Nashville,  and  on  the  25th  began  a  tour  of  in- 
spection, visiting  Athens,  Decatur,  Huntsville,  and  Larkin's 
Ferry,  Alabama;  Chattanooga,  Loudon,  and  Knoxville, 
Tennessee.  During  this  visit  I  had  interviews  with  Major- 
General  McPherson,  commanding  the  Army  of  the  Ten- 
nessee, at  Huntsville  ;  Major-General  Thomas,  commanding 
the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  at  Chattanooga  ;  and  Major- 
General  Schofield,  commanding  the  Army  of  the  Ohio,  at 
Knoxville.  We  arranged  in  general  terms  the  lines  of 
communication  to»be  guarded,  the  strength  of  the  several 
columns  and  garrisons,  and  fixed  the  1st  day  of  May  as  the 
time  when  all  things  should  be  ready.  Leaving  these  offi- 
cers to  complete  the  details  of  organization  and  preparation, 
I  returned  to  Nashville  on  the  2d  of  April,  and  gave  my 
personal  attention  to  the  question  of  supplies.  I  ibund  the 
depots  at  Nashville  abundantly  supplied,  and  the  railroads 
in  very  fair  order,  and  that  steps  had  already  been  taken  to 
supply  cars  and  locomotives  to  fill  the  new  and  increased 
demands  of  the  service;  but  the  impoverished  condition  of 
the  inhabitants  of  East  Tennessee,  more  especially  in  the 
region  round  about  Chattanooga,  had  forced  the  command- 
ing officers  of  posts  to  issue  food  to  the  people.  I  was 
compelled  to  stop  this,  for  a  simple  calculation  showed  that 
a  single  railroad  could  not  feed  the  armies  and  the  people 
too,  and  of  course  the  army  had  the  preference ;  but  I  en- 
deavored to  point  the  people  to  new  channels  of  supply. 
At  first  my  orders  operated  very  hardly,  but  the  prolific 


FROil   CHATTANOOGA.   TO    ATLANTA.  11 

soil  soon  afforded  early  vegetation,  and  ox-wagons  hauled 
meat  and  bread  from  Kentucky,  so  that  no  actual  suffering 
resulted ;  and  I  trust  that  those  who  clamored  at  the 
cruelty  and  hardships  of  the  day  have  already  seen  in  the 
result  a  perfect  justification  of  my  course.  At  once  the 
storehouses  at  Chattanooga  began  to  fill,  so  that  by  the  1st 
of  May  a  very  respectable  quantity  of  food  and  forage  had 
been  accumulated  there ;  and  from  that  day  to  this  stores 
have  been  brought  forward  in  wonderful  abundance,  with 
a  surplus  that  has  enabled  me  to  feed  the  army  well  during 
the  whole  period  of  time,  although  thg  enemy  has  succeeded 
more  than  once  in  breaking  our  road  for  many  miles  at 
different  points. 

During  the  month  of  April  I  received  from  Lieutenant- 
General  Grant  a  map,  with  a  letter  of  instructions,  which 
is  now  at  Nashville;  but  a  copy  will  be  procured,  and  made 
part  of  this  report.  Subsequently  I  received  from  him 
notice  that  he  would  move  from  his  camps  about  Culpepper, 
Virginia,  on  the  5th  of  May,  and  he  wanted  me  to  do  the 
same  from  Chattanooga.  My  troops  were  still  dispersed, 
and  the  cavalry,  so  necessary  to  our  success,  was  yet  col- 
lecting horses  at  Nicholasville,  Kentucky,  and  Columbus, 
Tennessee.  On  the  27th  of  April  I  put  all  the  troops  in 
motion  towards  Chattanooga,  and  on  the  next  day  went 
there  in  person.  My  aim  and  purpose  was  to  make  the 
Army. of  the  Cumberland  50,000  men,  that  of  the  Tennessee 
35,000,  and  that  of  the  Ohio  15,000.  These  figures  were 
approximated  but  never  reached,  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee 
failing  to  receive  certain  divisions  that  were  still  kept  on 
the  Mississippi,  resulting  from  the  unfavorable  issue  of  the 
Red' River  expedition.  But  on  the  1st  of  May  the  effective 
strength  of  the  several  armies  for  offensive  purposes- was 
about  as  follows : 


12  GENERAL   SHERMANS   GREAT  MARCH 

ARMY  OF  THE  CUMBERLAND — MAJOR-GENERAL  THOMAS 
COMMANDING. 

Infantry 54,568 

Artillery 2,377 

•Cavalry 3,838 

Total 60,773 

Guns 130 

ARMY  OF  THE  TENNESSEE — MAJOR-GENERAL   MrrHERSON 
COMMANDING. 

Infantry 22,437 

Artillery 1,404 

Cavalry 624 

Total 24,465 

Guns 96 

ARMY  OF  THE  OSIO — MAJOR-GENERAL  SCHOFIELD  COMMANDING. 

Infantry 11,183 

Artillery 679 

Cavalry 1,697 

Total 13,559 

Guns 28 

Grand  aggregate  number  of  troops 98,797 

Guns 254 

About  these  figures  have  been  maintained  during  the 
campaign,  the  number  of  men  joining  from  furlough  and 
hospitals  about  compensating  for  the  loss  in  battle  and  from 
sickness.  These  armies  were  grouped  on  the  morning  of 
May  6th  as  follows :  That  of  the  Cumberland  at  and  near 
Ringgold  ;  that  of  the  Tennessee  at  Gordon's  Mill,  on  the 
Chickaniauga ;  and  that  of  the  Ohio  near  Red  Clay,  on  the 
Georgia  line,  north  of  Dalton. 

The  enemy  lay  in  and  about  Dalton,  superior  to  me  in 
cavalry  (Wheeler's),  and  with  three  corps  of  infantry  and 
artillery,  viz.,  Hardee's,  Hood's,  and  Folk's,  the  whole 
commanded  by  General  Joseph  Johnston,  of  the  Confed- 


FROM   CHATTANOOGA   TO   ATLANTA.  13 

evate  arrny.  I  estimated  the  cavalry  under  Wheeler  at 
about  10,000,  and  the  infantry  and  artillery  at  about  45,000 
or  50,000  men. 

To  strike  Dalton  in  front  was  impracticable,  as  it  was 
covered  by  an  inaccessible  ridge  known  as  the  Rocky  Face, 
through  which  was  a  pass  between  Tunnel  "Hill  and  Dal- 
ton, known  as  the  Buzzard  Roost,  through  which  lay  the 
railroad  and  wagon-road.  It  was  narrow,  well  obstructed 
by  abatti.s,  and  flooded  by  water  caused  by  dams  across 
Mill  Creek.  Batteries  also  commanded  it  in  its  whole 
length,  from  the  spurs  on  either  side,  and  more  especially 
from  a  ridge  at  the  further  end,  like  a  traverse,  directly 
across  its  debouche.  It  was  therefore  necessary  to  turn 
it.  On  its  north  front  the  enemy  had  a  strong  line  of 
works  behind  Mill  Creek,  so  that  my  attention  was  at  once 
directed  to  the  south.  In  that  direction  I  found  Snake 
Creek  Gap,  affording  me  a  good  practicable  way  to  reach 
Resaca,  a  point  on  the  enemy's  railroad  line  of  communi- 
cation, eighteen  (18)  miles  below  Dalton.  Accordingly  I 
ordered  General  McPherson  to  move  rapidly  from  his 
position  at  Gordon's  Mill,  via  Ship's  Gap,  Yillanow,  and 
Snake  Creek  Gap,  directly  on  Resaca,  or  the  railroad  at 
any  point  below  Dalton,  and  to  make  a  bold  attack.  After 
breaking  the  railroad  well,  he  was  ordered  to  fall  back  to 
a  strong  defensive  position  near  Snake  Creek,  and  stand 
ready  to  fall  upon  the  enemy's  flank  when  he  retreated,  as 
I  judged  he  would.  During  the  movement,  General 
Thomas  was  to  make  a  strong  feint  of  attack  in  front, 
while  General  Schofield  pressed  down  from  the  north. 

General  Thomas  moved  from  Ringgold  on  the  -7th,  oc- 
cupying Tunnel  Hill  facing  the  Buzzard  Roost  Gap,  meet- 
ing with  little  opposition  and  pushing  the  enemy's  cavalry 
well  through  the  Gap ;  General  McPherson  reached  Snake 


14:        GENERAL  SHERMANS  GREAT  MARCH 

Creek  Gap  on  the  8th,  completely  surprising  a  brigade  of 
cavalry,  which  was  coming  to  watch  and  hold  it ;  and  on 
the  9th  General  Schofield  pushed  down  close  on  Dalton, 
from  the  north,  whilst  General  Thomas  renewed  his  de- 
monstration against  Buzzard  Roost  and  Rocky  Faced 
Ridge,  pushing  it  almost  to  a  battle.  One  division,  General 
Newton's,  of  the  Fourth  Corps,  General  Howard's,  carried 
the  Ridge,  and  turning  south  towards  Dalton,  found  the 
crest  too  narrow  and  too  well  protected  by  rock  epaul- 
ments,  to  enable  him  to  reach  the  gorge  or  pass.  Another 
division,  General  Geary's  of  the  Twentieth  Corps,  General 
Hooker's,  also  made  a  bold  push  for  the  summit,  to  the 
south  of  the  pass,  but  the  narrow  road  as  it  approached 
the  summit  was  too  strongly  held  by  the  enemy  to  be  car- 
ried. This,  however,  was  only  designed  as  a  demonstra- 
tion, and  worked  well,  for  General  McPherson  was  there- 
by enabled  to  march  within  a  mile  of  Resaca  almost  un- 
opposed. He  found  Resaca  too  strong  to  be  carried  by 
assault,  and  although  there  were  many  good  roads  leading 
from  north  to  south,  endangering  his  left  flank  from  the 
direction  of  Dalton,  he  could  find  no  road  by  which  he 
could  rapidly  cross  over  to  the  railroad,  and  accordingly 
he  fell  ba-ck  and  took  strong  position  near  the  west  end  of 
Shake  Creek  Gap.  I  was  somewhat  disappointed  at  the 
result,  still  appreciated  the  advantage  gained,  and  on  the 
10th  ordered  General  Thomas  to  send  General  Hooker's 
Corps  to  Snake  Creek  Gap  in  support  of  General  McPherson, 
and  to  follow  with  another  corps,  the  Fourteenth,  General 
Palmer's,  leaving  General  Howard  with  the  Fourth  Corps 
to  continue  to  threaten  Dalton  in  front,  whilst  the  rest  of  the 
army  moved  rapidly  through  Snake  Creek  Gap.  On  the 
same  day  General  Schofield  was  ordered  to  follow  by  the 
same  route;  and  on  the  llth  the  whole  army,  excepting 


FKOM   CHATTANOOGA   TO   ATLANTA.  15 

General  Howard's  corps,  and  some  cavalry  left  to  watch 
Dalton,  was  in  motion  on  the  west  side  of  Rocky  Faced 
Ridge  for  Snake  Creek  Gap  and  Resaca.  The  next  day 
we  moved  against  Resaca,  General  McPherson  on  the  di- 
rect road,  preceded  by  General  Kilpatrick's  cavalry ;  Gen- 
eral Thomas  to  come  up  on  his  left  and  General  Schofield 
on  his.  General  Kilpatrick  met  and  drove  the  enemy's 
cavalry  from  a  cross-road  within  two  miles  of  Resaca,  but 
received  a  wound  which  disabled  him  and  gave  the  com- 
mand of  his  brigade  to  Colonel  Murray,  who,  according  to 
his  orders,  wheeled  out  of  the  road,  leaving  General  Mc- 
Pherson to  pass.  General  McPherson  struck  the  enemy's 
infantry  pickets  near  Resaca,  and  drove  them  within  their 
fortified  lines  and  occupied  a  ridge  of  "bald"  hills,  his 
right  on  the  Oostanaula,  about  two  miles  below  the  rail- 
road bridge,  and  his  left  abreast  the  town.  General 
Thomas  came  up  on  his  left,  facing  Camp  Creek,  and  Gen- 
eral Schofield  broke  his  way  through  the  dense  forest  to 
General  Thomas's  left.  Johnston  had  left  Dalton,  and 
General  Howard  entered  it  and  pressed  his  rear.  Nothing 
saved  Johnston's  army  at  Resaca  -but  the  impracticable 
nature  of  the  country,  which^  made  the  passage  of  troops 
across  the  Valley  almost  impossible.  This  fact  enabled  his 
army  to  reach  Resaca  from  Dalton  along  the  compai'atively 
good  roads  constructed  beforehand,  partly  from  the  topo- 
graphical nature  of  the  country,  and  partly  from  the  fore- 
sight of  the  rebel  chief.  At  all  events,  on  14th  of  May 
we  found  the  rebel  army  in  a  strong  position  behind  Camp 
Creek,  occupying  the  forts  at  Resaca,  and  his  right  on 
some  high  chestnut  hills  to  the  north  of  the  town.  I  at 
once  Ordered  a  pontoon  bridge  to  be  laid  across  the 
Oostanaula  at  Lay's  Ferry  in  the  direction  of  Calhoun  ;  a 
division  of  the  Sixteenth  Corps,  commanded  by  General 


16  GENERAL   SHEEMAN's    GEEAT   MARCH 

Sweeney,  to  cross  and  threaten  Calhoun  ;  also  the  cavalry 
division  of  General  Gerrard  to  move  from  its  position  at 
Villanow  down  towards  Rome,  to  cross  the  Oostanaula 
and  break  the  railroad  below  Calhoun  and  above  Kingston 
if  possible,  and  with  the  main  army  I  pressed  against 
Resaca  at  all  points.  General  McPherson  got  across  Camp 
Creek  near  its  mouth,  and  made  a  lodgment  close  up  to 
the  enemy's  works,  on  hills  that  commanded,  with  short- 
range  artillery,  the  railroad  and  trussel  bridges  ;  and  Gen- 
eral Thomas  pressing  close  along  Camp  Creek  Valley, 
threw  General  Hooker's  corps  across  the  head  of  the 
creek  to  the  main  Dalton  road,  and  down  to  it  close  on 
Resaca. 

General  Schofield  came  up  close  on  his  left,  and  a  heavy 
battle  ensued  during  the  afternoon  and  evening  of  the 
15th,  during  which  General  Hooker  drove  the  enemy  from 
several  strong  hills,  captured  a  four-gun  battery  and  many 
prisoners.  That  night,  Johnston  escaped,  retreating  south 
across  the  Oostanaula,  and  the  next  morning  we  entered 
the  town  in  time  to  save  the  road  bridge,  but  the  railroad 
bridge  was  burned. 

The  whole  army  started  in  pursuit,  General  Thomas  di- 
rectly on  his  heels,  General  McPherson  by  Lay's  Ferry, 
and  General  Schofield  by  obscure  roads  to  the  left.  We 
found  in  Resaca  another  four-gun  battery  and  a  good  lot 
of  stores. 

General  McPherson,  during  the  16th,  got  across  at  Lay's 
Ferry.  General  Thomas  had  to  make  some  additional 
bridges  at  Resaca,  but  General  Schofield  had  more  trouble, 
and  made  a  wide  circuit  to  the  left  by  Fue's  and  Field's 
ferries  across  the  Connasauga  and  Coosawattee  rivers, 
which  form  the  Oostanaula.  On  the  17th  all  the  armies 
moved  south  by  as  many  different  roads  as  we  could  find, 


FROM   CHATTANOOGA   TO   ATLANTA.  17 

and  General  Thomas  had  sent  by  my  orders  a  division, 
General  Jeff.  C.  Davis,  along  the  west  bank  of  Oostanaula, 
to  Rome.  Near  Adairsville  we  again  found  signs  of  the 
rebel  army,  and  of  a  purpose  to  fight,  and  about  sunset  of 
that  day  General  Newton's  division,  in  the  advance,  had  a 
pretty  sharp  encounter  with  his  rear-guard ;  but  the  next 
morning  he  was  gone,  and  we  pushed  on  through  King- 
ston to  a  point  four  miles  beyond,  where  we  found  him 
again  in  force,  on  ground  comparatively  open,  and  well 
adapted  to  a  grand  battle.  We  made  the  proper  disposi- 
tions;— General  Schofield  approaching  Cassville  from  the 
north,  to  which  point  General  Thomas  had  also  directed 
General  Hooker's  corps ;  and  I  had  drawn  General  Mo 
Pherson's  army  from  Woodland  to  Kingston,  to  be  in  close 
support.  On  the  19th  the  enemy  was  in  force  about  Cass- 
ville, with  strong  forts,  but  as  our  troops  converged  on 
him,  again  he  retreated  in  the  night-time  across  the  Eto- 
wah  river,  burning  the  road  and  railroad  bridges  near  Car- 
tersville,  but  leaving  us  in  complete  possession  of  the  most 
valuable  country  above  the  Etowah  river. 

Holding  General  Thomas's  army  about  Cassville,  General 
McPherson's  about  Kingston,  and  General .  Schofield's  at 
Cassville  depot  and  towards  the  Etowah  bridge,  I  gave  the 
army  a  few  days'  rest,  and  also  time  to  bring  forward  sup- 
plies for  the  next  stage  of  the  campaign.  In  the  mean 
time,  General  Jeff.  C.  Davis  had  got  possession  of  Rome 
with  its  forts,  some  eight  or  ten"  guns  of  heavy  calibre,  and 
its  valuable  mills  and  foundries.  We  also  secured  posses- 
sion of  two  good  bridges  across  the  Etowah  river,  near 
Kingston,  giving  us  the  means  of  crossing  towards  the 
south.  Satisfied  that  the  enemy  could  and  would  hold  us 
in  check  at  the  Allatoona  Pass,  I  resolved,  without  even  at- 
tempting it  in  front,  to  turn  it  by  a  circuit  to  the  right, 


18  GENERAL   SHERMAN'S   GREAT   MARCH 

and  having  supplied  our  wagons  for  twenty  days'  absence 
from  our  railroad,  I  left  a  garrison  at  Rome  and  Kingston, 
and  on  the  23d  put  the  army  in  motion  for  "  Dallas." 

General  McPherson  crossed  the  Etowah  at  the  mouth 
of  Conasene  Creek,  near  Kingston,  and  moved  for  his  po- 
sition to  the  south  of  Dallas,  via  Van  Wert.  General 
Davis's  division  moved  directly  from  Rome  for  Dallas  by 
Van  Wert.  General  Thomas  took  the  road  via  Euharlee 
.and  Burnt  Hickory,  while  General  Schotield  moved  by 
other  roads  more  to  the  east,  aiming  to  come  up  on  Gen- 
eral Thomas's  left. 

General  Thomas's  head  of  column  skirmished  with  the 
enemy's  cavalry  about  Burnt  Hickory,  and  captured  a 
courier  with  a  letter  of  General  Johnston,  showing  that 
he  had  detected  the  move  and  was  preparing  to  meet  us 
about  Dallas.  The  country  was  very  rugged,  mountain- 
ous, and  densely  wooded,  with  few  and  obscure  roads. 

On  the  25th  of  May,  General  Thomas  was  moving  from 
Burnt  Hickory  for  Dallas,  his  troops  on  three  roads,  Gen- 
eral Hooker  having  the  advance.  When  he  approached 
the  Pumpkin  Vine  Creek,  on  the  main  Dallas  road,  he 
found  a  respectable  force  of  the  enemy's  cavalry  at  a 
bridge  to  his  left.  He  rapidly  pushed  them  across  the 
creek,  saving  the  bridge  though  on  fire,  and  followed  out 
eastward  about  two  miles,  where  he  first  encountered  in- 
fantry, whose  pickets  he  drove  some  distance,  until  he  en- 
countered the  enemy's  line  of  battle,  and  his  leading  •  di- 
vision, General  Geary's,  had  a  severe  encounter.  General 
Hooker's  other  two  divisions  were  on  other  roads,  and  he 
ordered  them  in,  although  the  road  he  was  then  following, 
by  reason  of  the  presence  of  the  enemy,  led  him  north  of 
Dallas  about  four  miles. 

It  was  near  4  o'clock  p.  M.  before  General  Hooker  got 


FKOM  CHATTANOOGA  TO  ATLANTA.         19 

his  whole  corps  well  in  hand,  when  he  deployed  two  divis- 
ions, and,  by  my  order,  made  a  bold  push  to  secure  pos- 
session of  a  point  known  as  the  "New  Hope"  Church, 
where  three  roads  meet  from  Ackworth,  Marietta,  and  Dal- 
las. Here  a  hard  battle  was  fought,  and  the  enemy  was 
driven  back  to  New  Hope  Church;  but,  having  hastily 
thrown  up  some  parapets,  and  a  stormy,  dark  night  hav- 
ing set  in,  General  Hooker  was  unable  to  drive  the  enemy 
from  those  roads.  By  the  next  morning  we  found  the 
enemy  well  intrenched,  substantially  in  front  of  the  road 
leading  from  Dallas  to  Marietta.  "We  were  consequently 
compelled  to  make  dispositions  on  a  larger  scale.  Gen- 
eral McPherson  was  moved  up  to  Dallas,  General  Thomas 
was  deployed  against  New  Hope  Church,  and  General 
Schofield  was  directed  towards  our  left,  so  as  to  strike 
and  turn  the  enemy's  right.  General  Garrard's  cavalry 
operated  with  General  McPherson,  and  General  Stone- 
man  with  General  Schofield.  General  McCook  looked  to 
our  rear. 

Owing  to  the  difficult  nature  of  the  ground  and  dense 
forests,  it  took  us  several  days  to  deploy  close  to  the  enemy, 
when  I  resolved  gradually  to  work  towards  our  left,  and, 
when  all  things  were  ready,  to  push  for  the  railroad  east  of 
Allatoona.  In  making  our  development  before  the  enemy 
about  New  Hope,  many  severe  sharp  encounters  occurred 
between  parts  of  the  army,  details  of  which  will  be  given 
at  length  in  the  reports  of  subordinate  commanders.  On 
the  28th,  General  McPherson  was  on  the  point  of  closing 
to  his  left  on  General  Thomas,  in  front  of  New  Hope 
Church,  to  enable  me  with  the  rest  of  the  army  to  extend 
still  more  to  the  left  and  to  envelop  the  enemy's  right, 
when  suddenly  the  enemy  made  a  bold  and  daring  assault 
on  him  at  Dallas. 


20  GENERAL   SHERMAN'S   GKEAT   MARCH 

Fortunately  our  men  bad  erected  good  breastworks,  and 
gave  the  enemy  a  terrible  and  bloody  repulse.  After  a  feu- 
days'  delay,  for  effect,  I  renewed  my  orders  to  General 
McPherson  to  move  to  his  left  about  five  miles,  and  occupy 
General  Thomas's  position  in  front  of  New  Hope  Church, 
and  Generals  Thomas  and  Schofield  were  ordered  to  move 
a  corresponding  distance  to  their  left.  •  This  move  was 
effected  with  ease  and  safety  on  the  1st  of  June,  and,  by 
pushing  our  left  well  around,  we  occupied  all  the  roads 
leading  back  to  Allatoona  and  Ackworth ;  after  which  I 
pushed  General  Stoneman's  cavalry  rapidly  into  Allatoona, 
at  the  east  end  of  the  Pass,  and  General  Garrard's  cavalry 
around  by  the  rear  to  the  west  end  of  the  Pass.  Both  of 
these  commands  reached  the  points  designated  without 
trouble,  and  we  thereby  accomplished  our  real  purpose  of 
turning  the  Allatoona  Pass. 

Ordering  the  railroad  bridge  across  the  Etowah  to  be  at 
once  rebuilt,  I  continued  working  by  the  left,  and  on  the 
4th  of  June  had  resolved  to  leave  Johnston  in  his  intrenched 
position  at  New  Hope  Church,  and  move  to  the  railroad 
about  Ackworth,  when  he  abandoned  his  intrenchments, 
after  which  we  moved  readily  to  Ackworth  and  reached 
the  railroad  on  the  6th  of  June.  I  at  once  examined  in 
person  the  Allatoona  Pass  and  found  it  admirably  adapted 
to  our  use  as  a  secondary  base,  and  gave  the  necessary  or- 
ders for  its  defence  and  garrison,  and  as  soon  as  the  rail- 
road bridge  was  finished  across  the  Etowah  our  stores  came 
forward  to  our  camps  by  rail. 

At  Ackworth,  General  Blair  overtook  us  on  the  8th  of 
June  with  two  divisions  of  the  seventeenth  corps  that  had 
been  on  furlough,  and  one  brigade  of  cavalry,  Colonel 
Long's,  of  General  Garrard's  division,  which  had  been 
awaiting  horses  at  Columbia.  This  accession  of  force  about 


FEOM   CHATTANOOGA   TO    ATLANTA.  21 

compensated  for  our  losses  in  battle  and  the  detachment 
left  at  Resaca,  Rome,  Kingston,  and  Allatoona. 

On  the  9th  of  June,  our  communications  in  the  rear  be- 
ing secure  and  supplies  ample,  we  moved  forward  to  Big 
Shanty. 

Kenesaw,  the  bold  and  striking  Twin  Mountain,  lay  be- 
fore us,  with  a  high  range  of  chestnut  hills  trending  off  to 
the  northeast,  terminating  to  our  view  in  another  peak 
called  Brushy  Mountain.  To  our  right  was  the  smaller 
hill  called  Pine  Mountain,  and  beyond  it  in  the  distance 
Lost  Mountain.  All  these,  though  links  in  a  continuous 
chain,  present  a  sharp  conical  appearance,  prominent  in  the 
vast  landscape  that  presents  itself  from  any  of  the  hills  that 
abound  in  that  region.  Kenesaw,  Pine  Mountain,  and 
Lost  Mountain  form  a  triangle,  Pine  Mountain  the  apex, 
and  Kenesaw  and  Lost  Mountain  the  base,  covering  per- 
fectly the  towu  of  Marietta  and  the  railroad  back  to  the 
Chnttahoochie.  On  each  of  these  peaks  the  enemy  had  his 
signal-stations.  The  summits  were  covered  with  bat- 
teries, and  the  spurs  were  alive  with  men,  busy  in  felling 
trees,  digging  pits,  and  preparing  for  the  grand  struggle 
impending. 

The  scene  was  enchanting,  too  beautiful  to  be  disturbed 
by  the  harsh  clamors  of  war,  but  the  Chattahoochie  lay 
beyond,  and  I  had  to  reach  it.  On  approaching  close  to 
the  enemy,  I  found  him  occupying  a  line  full  two  miles 
long,  more  than  he  could  hold  with  his  force.  General 
McPherson  was  ordered  to  move  towards  Marietta,  his  right 
on  the  railroad,  General  Thomas  on  Kenesaw  and  Pine 
Mountain,  and  General  Schofield  off  towards  Lost  Moun- 
tain ;  General  Garrard's  cavalry  on  the  left,  General  Stone- 
man's  on  the  right,  and  General  McCook  looking  to  our 
rear  and  communications.  Our  depot  was  at  Big  Shanty. 


22  GENERAL  SHEKMAN's   GKEAT   MAKCH 

By  the  llth  of  June  our  lines  were  close  up,  and  we 
made  dispositions  to  break  the  line  betfween  Kenesaw  and 
Pine  mountains.  General  Hooker  was  on  its  right  and 
front,  General  Howard  on  its  left  and  front,  and  General 
Palmer  between  it  and  the  railroad.  During  a  sharp  can- 
nonading from  General  Howard's  right  or  General  Hooker's 
left,  General  Polk  was  tilled  on  the  14th,  and  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  15th  Pine  Mountain  was  fotmd  abandoned  by 
the  enemy.  Generals  Thomas  and  Schofield  advanced, 
and  found  him  again  strongly  intrenched  along  the  line  of 
rugged  hills  connecting  Kenesaw  and  Lost  mountains.  At 
the  same  time  General  McPherson  advanced  his  line,  gain- 
ing substantial  advantage  on  the  left.  Pushing  our  opera- 
tions on  the  centre  as  vigorously  as  the  nature  of  the  ground 
wrould  permit,  I  had  again  ordered  an  assault  on  the  centre, 
when,  on  the  17th,  the  enemy  abandoned  Lost  Mountain 
and  the  long  line  of  admirable  breastworks  connecting  it 
with  Kenesaw.  We  continued  to  press  at  all  points, 
skirmishing  in  dense  forests  of  timber  and  across  most 
difficult  ravines,  until  we  found  him  again  strongly  posted 
and  intrenched,  with  Kenesaw  as  his  salient,  his  right  wing 
thrown  back  to  cover  Marietta,  and  his  left  behind  Nose's 
creek,  covering  his  railroad  back  to  the  Chattahoochie. 
This  enabled  him  to  contract  his  lines  and  strengthen  them 
accordingly. 

From  Kenesaw  he  could  look  down  upon  our  camps  and 
observe  every  movement,  and  his  batteries  thundered 
away,  but  did  us  little  harm,  on  account  of  the  extreme 
height,  the  shot  and  shell  passing  harmlessly  over  our  heads 
as  we  lay  close  up  against  his  mountain  town. 

During  our  operations  about  Keuesaw  the  weather  was 
villanously  bad,  and  the  rain  fell  almost  continuously  for 
three  weeks,  rendering  our  narrow  wooded  roads  mere 


FROM   CHATTANOOGA   TO    ATLANTA.  23 

mud  gulleys,  so  that  a  general  movement  would  have 
been  impossible ;  but  our  men  daily  worked  closer  and 
closer  to  the  intrenched  foe,  and  kept  up  an  incessant 
picket  firing,  galling  to  him.  Every  opportunity  was  taken 
to  advance  our  general  lines  closer  and  closer  to  the  enemy. 

General  McPherson  watching  the  enemy  on  Kenesaw 
and  working  his  left  forward,  General  Thomas  swinging 
as  it  were  on  a  grand  left  wheel,  his  left  on  Kenesaw  con- 
necting with  General  McPherson,  and  General  Schofield  all 
the  time  working  to  the  south  and  east  along  the  old  Sand- 
town  road.  On  the  22d  General  Hooker  had  advanced  his 
line,  with  General  Schofield  on  his  right,  the  enemy,  Hood's 
corps,  with  detachments  from  the  others,  suddenly  sallied 
and  attacked.  The  blow  fell  mostly  on  General  Williams's 
division  of  General  Hooker's  corps,  and  a  brigade  of  Gen- 
eral Hascall's  division  of  General  Schofield's  army. 

The  ground  was  comparatively  open,  and  although  the 
enemy  drove  in  the  skirmish  lines — an  advanced  regiment 
of  General  Schofield,  sent  out  purposely  to  hold  him  in 
check  until  some  preparations  could  be  completed  for  hig 
reception — yet  wnen  he  reached  our  line  of  battle  he  re- 
ceived a  terrible  repulse,  leaving  his  dead,  wounded,  and 
many  prisoners  in  our  hands.  This  is  known  as  the  affair 
of  the  "  Kulp  House."  Although  inviting  the  enemy  at  all 
times  to  commit  such  mistakes,  I  could  not  hope  for  him  to 
repeat  them  after  the  examples  of  Dallas  and  the  "  Kulp 
House,"  and  upon  studying  the  ground  I  had  no  alternative 
in  my  turn  but  to  assault  his  lines  or  turn  his  position. 
Either  course  had  its  difficulties  and  dangers.  And  I  per- 
ceived that  the  enemy  and  our  own  officers  had  settled 
down  into  a  conviction  that  I  would  not  assault  fortified 
lines. 

All  looked  to  me  to  "  outflank."     An  army  to  be  effi- 


24:  GENERAL   SHERMAN'S    GREAT   MARCH 

cient  must  not  settle  down  to  one  single  mode  of  offence, 
but  must  be  prepared  to  execute  any  plan  which  promises 
success.  I  waited,  therefore,  for  the  moral  effect,  to  make 
a  successful  assault  against  the  enemy  behind  his  breast- 
works, and  resolved  to  attempt  it  at  that  point  where  suc- 
cess would  give  the  largest  fruits  of  victory.  The  general 
point  selected  was  the  left  centre ;  because, -if  I  could  thrust 
a  strong  head  of  column  through  at  that  point  by  pushing 
it  boldly  and  rapidly  two  and  one-half  miles,  it  would  reach 
the  railroad  below  Marietta,  cut  off  the  enemy's  right  and 
centre  from  its  line  of  retreat,  and  then,  by  turning  on 
either  part,  it  could  be  overwhelmed  and  destroyed.  There- 
fore, on  the  24th  of  June,  I  ordered  that  an  assault  should 
be  made  at  two  points  south  of  Kenesaw  on  the  27th,  giv- 
ing three  days'  notice  for  preparation  and  reconnoissance ; 
one  to  be  made  near  Little  Kenesaw  by  General  McPhcr- 
son's  troops,  and  the  other  about  a  mile  further  south  by 
General  Thomas's  troops.  The  hour  was  fixed,  and  all  the 
details  given  in  Field  Orders,  No.  28,  of  June  24.  On  the 
27th  of  June  the  two  assaults  were  made  at  the  time  and 
in  the  manner  prescribed,  and  both  failed,  costing  us  many 
valuable  lives,  among  them  those  of  Generals  Harker  and 
McCook ;  Colonel  Rice  and  others  badly  wounded.  Our 
aggregate  loss  being  near  3,000,  while  we  inflicted  com- 
paratively little  loss  to  the  enemy,  who  lay  behind  his  well- 
formed  breastworks.  Failure  as  it  was,  and  for  which  I 
assume  the  entire  responsibility,  I  yet  claim  it  produced 
good  fruits,  as  it  demonstrated  to  General  Johnston  that  I 
would  assault,  and  that  boldly,  and  we* also  gained  and  held 
ground  so  close  to  the  enemy's  parapets  that  he  could  not 
show  a  head  above  them. 

It  would  not  do  to  rest  long  under  the  influence  of  a 
mistake  or  failure,  and  accordingly  General  Schofield  was 


FROM  CHATTANOOGA  TO  ATLANTA.          25 

working  strong  on  the  enemy's  left ;  and  on  the  1st  of  July 
I  ordered  General  McPherson  to  be  relieved  by  General 
Garrard's  cavalry  in  front  of  Kenesaw,  and  to  rapidly 
throw  his  whole  army  by  the  right  down  to  and  threaten 
Nickajack  Creek  and  Turner's  Ferry  across  the  Chattahoo- 
chie,  and  I  also  pushed  Stoneman's  cavalry  to  the  river 
below  Turner's. 

General  McPherson  commenced  his  movement  the  night 
of  July  2,  and  the  effect  was  instantaneous.  The  next 
morning  Kenesaw  was  abandoned,  and  with  the  first  dawn 
of  day  I  saw  our  skirmishers  appear  on  the  mountain-top. 
General  Thomas's  whole  line  was  then  moved  forward  to 
the  railroad'  and  turned  south  in  pursuit  towards  the  Chat- 
tahoochie.  In  person  I  entered  Marietta  at  8^  in  the 
morning,  just  as  the  enemy's  cavalry  vacated  the  place. 
General  Logan's  corps  of  General  McPherson's  army, 
which  had  not  moved  far,  was  ordered  back  into  Marietta 
by  the  main  road,  and  General  McPherson  and  General 
Schofield  were  instructed  to  cross  Nickajack  and  attack 
the  enemy  in  flank  and  rear,  and,  if  possible,  to  catch  him 
in  the  confusion  of  crossing  the  Chattahoochie ;  but  John- 
ston had  foreseen  and  provided  against  all  this,  and  had 
covered  his  movement  well.  He  had  intrenched  a  strong 
ttte-du-pont  at  the  Chattahoochie,  with  an  advanced  in- 
trenched line  across  the  road  at  Smyrna  camp-meeting 
ground,  five  miles  from  Marietta. 

Here  General  Thomas  found  him,  his  front  covered  by  a 
good  parapet,  and  his  flanks  behind  the  Nickajack  and 
Rottenwood  creeks.  Ordering  a  garrison  for  Marietta, 
and  General  Logan  to  join  his  own  army  near  the  mouth 
of  Kickajack,  I  overtook  General  Thomas  at  Smyrna.  On 
the  4th  of  July  we  pushed  a  strong  skirmish -line  down 
the  main  road,  capturing  the  entire  line  of  the  enemy's 

3 


20         GENKRAL  SHERMAN^  GREAT  MARCH 

pits,  and  made  strong  demonstrations  along  Nickajack 
Creek  and  about  Turner's  Ferry.  This  had  the  desired 
effect,  and  the  next  morning  the  enemy  was  gone,  and  the 
army  moved  to  the  Chattahoochie,  General  Thomas's  left 
flank  resting  on  it  near  Paice's  Ferry,  General  McPherson's 
right  at  the  mouth  of  Nickajack,  and  General  Sehofield  in 
reserve;  the  enemy  lay  behind  a  line  of  unusual  strength, 
covering  the  railroad  and  pontoon  bridges  and  beyond  the 
Chattahoochie.  Heavy  skirmishing  along  our  whole  front 
during  the  5th  demonstrated  the  strength  of  the  enemv's 

~  O  •/ 

position,  which  could  alone  be  turned  by  crossing  the  main 
Chattahoochie  River,  a  rapid  and  deep  stream,  only  pass- 
able at  that  stage  by  means  of  bridges,  except  at  one  or  two 
very  difficult  fords. 

To  accomplish  this  result  I  judged  it  would  be  more  easy 
of  execution  before  the  enemy  had  made  more  thorough 
preparation  or  regained  full  confidence,  and  accordingly  I 
ordered  General  Schofit-ld  across  from  his  position  on  the 
Sandtown  road  to  Smyrna  camp-ground,  and  next  to  the 
Chattahochie,  near  the  mouth  of  Soap's  Creek,  and  effect  a 
lodgment  on  the  east  bank.  This  was  most  successfully 
and  skilfully  accomplished  on  the  7th  of  July,  General 
Schofield  capturing  a  gun,  completely  surprising  the  guard, 
laying  a  good  pontoon  bridge  and  a  trestle  bridge,  and  effect- 
ing a  strong  lodgment  on  high  and  commanding  ground,  with 
good  roads  leading  to  the  east.  At  the  same  time  General 
Garrard  moved  rapidly  on  Roswell  and  destroyed  the  fac- 
tories which  had  supplied  the  rebel  armies  with  cloth  for 
years.  Over  one  of  these,  the  woollen-factory,  the  nominal 
owner  displayed  the  French  flag,  which  was  not  respected, 
of  course.  A  neutral  surely  is  no  better  than  one  of  our 
own  citizens,  and.  we  do  not  permit  our  own  citizens  to 
fabricate  cloth  for  hostile  uses. 


FROM  CHATTANOOGA  TO  ATLANTA.          27 

General  Garrard  was  then  ordered  to  secure  the  shallow 
ford  at  Roswell,  and  hold  it  until  he  could  be  relieved  by 
infantry ;  and  as  I  contemplated  transferring  the  Army  of 
the  Tennessee  from  the  extreme  right  to  the  left,  I  ordered 
General  Thomas  to  send  a  division  of  his  infantry  that  was 
nearest  up  to  Roswell  to  hold  the  ford  until  General  Mc- 
Pherson  could  send  up  a  corps  from  the  neighborhood  of 
Xickajack.  General  Xewton's  division  was  sent  and  held 
the  ford  until  the  arrival  of  General  Dodge's  corps,  which 
was  soon  followed  by  General  McPherson's  whole  army. 
About  the  same  time  General  Howard'  had  also  built  a 
bridge  at  Powers'  Ferry ;  two  miles  below  General  Schofield 
had  crossed  over  and  taken  a  position  on  his  right.  Thus 
during  the  9th  we  had  secured  three  good  and  safe  points 
of  passage  over  the  Chattahoochie,  above  the  enemy,  with 
good  roads  leading  to  Atlanta,  and  Johnston  abandoned 
his  t£te-du-pont,  burned  his  bridges,  and  left  us  undisputed 
masters  north  and  west  of  the  Chattahoochie,  at  daylight 
of  the  10th  of  July. 

This  was  one  if  not  the  chief  object  of  the  campaign, 
viz. :  the  advancement  of  our  Hues  from  the  Tennessee  to 
the  Chattahoochie  ;  but  Atlanta  lay  before  us  only  eight 
miles  distant,  and  was  too  important  a  place  in  the  hands 
of  an  enemy  to  be  left  undisturbed  with  its  magazines, 
stores,  arsenals,  workshops,  foundries,  etc.,  and  more  es- 
pecially its  railroads,  which  converge  there  from  the  four 
great  cardinal  points.  But  the  men  had  worked  hard  and 
needed  rest,  and  we  accordingly  took  a  short  spell.  But 
in  anticipation  of  this  contingency  I  had  collected  a  well 
appointed  force  of  cavalry  about  2,000  strong  at  Decatur, 
Alabama,  with  orders,  on  receiving  notice  by  telegraph,  to 
push  rapidly  south,  cross  the  Coosa  at  the  railroad  bridge 
or  the  Ten  Islands,  and  thence  by  the  most  direct  route  to 


28  GENERAL    SHERMANS    GREAT    MARCH 

Opelika.  There  is  but  one  stem  of  finished  railroad  con- 
necting the  channels  of  trade  and  travel  between  Georgia, 
:md  Alabama,  and  Mississippi,  which  runs  from  Montgomery 
to  Opelika,  and  my  purpose  was  to  break  it  up  effectually, 
and  thereby  cut  off  Johnston's  army  from  that  source  of 
supply  and  reinforcement. 

General  Rousseau,  commanding  the  district  of  Tennessee, 
asked  permission  to  command  the  expedition,  and  received 
it.  As  soon  as  Johnston  was  well  across  the  Chattahoo- 
chie,  and  as  I  had  begun  to  manoeuvre  on  Atlanta,  I  gave 
the  requisite  notice,  and  General  Rousseau  started  punc- 
tually on  the  10th  of  July.  He  fulfilled  his  orders  and  in- 
structions to  the  very  letter,  whipping  the  rebel  General 
Clanton  en  route  /  he  passed  through  Talladega,  and 
reached  the  railroad  on  the  16th  about  twenty -five  miles 
west  of  Opelika,  and  broke  it  well  up  to  that  place.  Also 
three  miles  of  the  branch  towards  Columbus  and  two 
towards  West  Point.  He  then  turned  north  and  brought 
his  command  safely  to  Marietta,  arriving  on  the  22d,  hav- 
ing sustained  a  trifling  loss,  not  to  exceed  30  men. 

The  main  armies  remained  quiet  in  their  camps  on  the 
Chattahoochie  until  the  16th  of  July,  but  the  time  was 
employed  in  collecting  stores  at  Allatoona,  Marietta,  and 
Vining's  Station,  strengthening  the  railroad  guards  and 
garrisons,  and  improving  the  piers,  bridges,  and  roads  lead- 
ing across  the  river.  General  Stoneman's  and  McCook's 
cavalry  had  scouted  well  down  the  river  to  draw  attention 
in  that  direction,  and  all  things  being  ready  for  a  general 
advance,  I  ordered  it  to  commence  on  the  17th;  General 
Thomas  to  cross  at  Powers'  and  Paice's  Ferry  bridges,  and 
to  march  by  Buckhead;  General  Schofield  was  already 
across  at  the  mouth  of  Soap's  Creek,  and  to  march  by  Cross 
Keys,  and  General  McPherson  to  direct  his  course  from 


FROM    CHATTANOOGA    TO    ATLANTA.  29 

Roswell  straight  against  the  Auernsta  road,  at  some  point 
east  of  Decatnr,  near  Stone  Mountain.  General  Garrard's 
cavalry  acted  with  General  McPherson,  and  Generals 
Stoneman  and  McCook  watched  the  river  and  roads  be- 
low the  railroad.  On  the  17th  the  whole  army  advanced 
from  their  camps  and  formed  a  general  line  along  the  Old 
Peach-tree  road. 

Continuing  on  a  general  right-wheel,  General  McPher- 
son reached  the  Augusta  Railroad  on  the  18th,  at  a  point 
seven  miles  east  of  Decatur,  and  with  General  Garrard's 
cavalry,  and  General  Morgan  L.  Smith's  infantry  division 
of  the  Fifteenth  Corps,  broke  up  a  section  of  about  four 
miles,  and  General  Schofield  reached  the  town  of  Decatur. 

On  the  19th  General  McPherson  turned  along  the  rail- 
road into  Decatur,  and  General  Schofield  followed  a  road 
towards  Atlanta,  leading  by  Colonel  Howard's  house  and 
the  distillery,  and  General  Thomas  crossed  Peach-tree 
Creek  in  force  by  numerous  bridges  in  the  face  of  the  ene- 
my's intrenched  lines.  All  found  the  enemy  in  more  or 
less  force,  and  skirmished  heavily. 

On  the  20th  all  the  armies  had  closed  in,  converging 
towards  Atlanta,  but  as  a  gap  existed  between  Generals 
Schofield  and  Thomas,  two  divisions  of  General  Howard's 
corps  of  General  Thomas's  army  were  moved  to  the  left  to 
connect  with  General  Schofield,  leaving  General  Newton's 
division  of  the  same  corps  on  the  Buckhead  road.  During 
the  afternoon  of  the  20th,  about  4  P.M.,  the  enemy  sallied 
from  his  works  in  force,  and  fell  in  line  of  battle  against 
our  right  centre,  composed  of  General  Newton's  division 
of  General  Howard's  corps,  on  the  main  Buckhead  road ; 
of  General  Hooker's  corps  next  south,  and  General  John- 
son's division  of  General  Palmer's  corps.  The  blow  was 
sudden  and  somewhat  unexpected,  but  General  Newton 


30  GENERAL   SHERMAN'S    GREAT   MARCH 

had  hastily  covered  his  front  by  a  line  of  rail-piles  which 
enabled  him  to  meet  and  repulse  the  attack  on  him.  Gen- 
eral Hooker's  whole  corps  was  uncovered,  and  had  to  fight 
on  comparatively  open  ground,  and  it,  too,  after  a  very 
severe  battle,  drove  the  enemy  back  to  his  intrenchments, 
and  the  action  in  front  of  General  Johnston  was  compara- 
tively light,  that  division  being  well  intrenched.  The 
enemy  left  on  the  field  over  500  dead,  about  1,000  wounded 
severely,  7  stands  of  colors,  and  many  prisoners.  His  loss 
could  not  have  fallen  short  of  5,000,  whereas  ours  was 
covered  by  1,500  killed,  wounded,  and  missing;  the 
greater  loss  fell  on  General  Hooker's  corps,  from  its  ex- 
posed condition. 

On  the  21st  we  felt  the  enemy  in  his  intrenched  position, 
which  was  found  to  crown  the  heights  overlooking  the 
comparatively  open  ground  of  the  valley  of  Peach-tree 
Creek,  his  right  beyond  the  Augusta  road  to  the  east,  and 
his  left  well  towards  Turner's  Ferry  on  the  Chattahoochie, 
at  a  general  distance  from  Atlanta  of  about  four  miles. 

On  the  morning  of  the  22d,  somewhat  to  my  surprise, 
this  whole  line  was  found  abandoned,  and  I  confess  I 
thought  the  enemy  had  resolved  to  give  us  Atlanta  with- 
out further  contest ;  but  General  Johnston  had  been  re- 
lieved of  his  command,  and  General  Hood  substituted.  A 
new  policy  seemed  resolved  on,  of  which  the  bold  attack 
on  our  right  was  the  index.  Our  advancing  ranks  swept 
across  the  strong  and  well-finished  parapet  of  the  enemy, 
and  closed  in  upon  Atlanta,  until  we  occupied  a  line  in  the 
form  of  a  general  circle  of  about  two  miles  radius,  when 
we  again  found  him  occupying  in  force  a  line  of  finished 
redoubts,  which  had  been  prepared  for  more  than  a  year, 
covering  all  the  roads  leading  into  Atlanta  ;  and  we  found 
him  also  busy  in  connecting  those  redoubts  with  curtains 


FBOM   CHATTANOOGA   TO   ATLANTA.  31 

strengthened  by  rifle  trenches,  abattis,  and  chevaux-de- 
frise. 

General  MePherson,  who  had  advanced  from  Decatur, 
continued  to  follow  substantially  the  railroad,  with  the 
Fifteenth  Corps,  General  Logan  ;  the  Seventeenth,  General 
Blair,  on  its  left,  and  the  Sixteenth,  General  Dodge,  on  its 
right ;  but  as  the  general  advance  of  all  the  armies  con- 
tracted the  circle,  the  Sixteenth  Corps,  General  Dodge, 
was  thrown  out  of  line  by  the  Fifteenth  connecting  on  the 
right  with  General  Schofield,  near  the  Howard  House. 
General  MePherson,  the  night  before,  had  gained  a  high 
hill  to  the  south  and  east  of  the  railroad,  where  the  Seven- 
teenth Corps  had,  after  a  severe  fight,  driven  the  enemy, 
and  it  gave  him  a  most  commanding  position  within  easy 
view  of  the  very  heart  of  the  city.  He  had  thrown  out 
working-parties  to  it,  and  was  making  preparations  to  oc- 
cupy it  in  strength  with  batteries.  The  Sixteenth  Corps, 
General  Dodge,  was  ordered  from  right  to  left  to  occupy 
this  position,  and  make  it  a  strong  general  left  flank.  Gen- 
eral Dodge  was  moving  by  a  diagonal  path  or  wagon-track 
leading  from  the  Decatur  road  in  the  direction  of  General 
Blair's  left  flank. 

About  10  A.  M.,  I  was  in  person  with  General  Schofield 
examining  the  appearance  of  the  enemy's  lines  opposite 
the  distillery,  where  we  attracted  enough  of  the  enemy's 
fire  of  artillery  and  musketry  to  satisfy  me  the  enemy  was 
in  Atlanta  in  force,  and  meant  to  fight,  and  had  gone  to  a 
large  dwelling  close  by,  known  as  the  Howard  House, 
where  General  MePherson  joined  me.  He  described  the 
condition  of  things  on  his  flank,  and  the  disposition  of  his 
troops.  I  explained  to  him  that  if  we  met  serious  resist- 
ance in  Atlanta,  as  present  appearances  indicated,  instead 
of  operating  against  it  by  the  left,  I  would  extend  to  the 


32        GENERAL  SHEKMAN*S  GREAT  MARCH 

right,  and  that  I  did  not  want  him  to  gain  much  distance 
to  the  left.  He  then  described  the  hill  occupied  by  Gen- 
eral Leggett's  division  of  General  Blair's  corps,  as  essential 
to  the  occupation  of  any  ground  to  the  east  and  south  of 
the  Augusta  Railroad,  on  account  of  its  commanding 
nature.  •  I  therefore  ratified  his  disposition  of  troops,  and 
modified  a  previous  order  I  had  sent  him  in  writing  to  use 
General  Dodge's  corps,  thrown  somewhat  in  reserve  by 
the  closing  up  of  our  line,  to  break  up  railroad,  and  I 
sanctioned  its  going,  as  already  ordered  by  General  Mc- 
Pherson,  to  his  left,  to  hold  and  fortify  that  position.  The 
general  remained  with  me  until  near  noon,  when  some  re- 
ports reaching  us  that  indicated  a  movement  of  the  enemy 
on  that  flank,  he  mounted  and  rode  away  with  his  staff*. 
I  must  here  also  state,  that  the  day  before  I  had  detached 
General  Garrard's  cavalry  to  go  to  Covington,  on  the 
Augusta  road,  forty-two  miles  east  of  Atlanta,  and  from 
that  point  to  send  detachments  to  break  the  two  import- 
ant bridges  across  the  Yellow  and  Ulcofanhatchee  rivers, 
tributaries  of  the  Ocmulgee  ;  and  General  McPherson  had 
also  left  his  wagon-train  at  Decatur,  under  a  guard  of  three 
regiments,  commanded  by  Colonel,  now  General  Sprague. 
Soon  after  General  McPherson  left  me  at  the  Howard 
House,  as  before  described,  I  heard  the  sounds  of  musketry 
to  our  left  rear ;  at  first  mere  pattering  shots,  but  soon 
they  grew  in  volume,  accompanied  with  artillery,  and 
about  the  same  time  the  sound  of  guns  was  heard  in  the 
direction  of  Decatur.  No  doubt  could  longer  be  enter- 
tained of  the  enemy's  plan  of  action,  which  was  to  throw 
a  superior  force  on  our  left  flank,  while  he  held  us  with  his 
forts  in  front,  the  only  question  being  as  to  the  amount  of 
force  he  could  employ  at  that  point.  I  hastily  transmitted 
orders  to  all  points  of  our  c^utre  and  right  to  press  for- 


FKOM  CHATTANOOGA  TO  ATLANTA.         33 

ward  and  give  full  employment  to  all  the  enemy  in  his 
lines,  and  for  General  Schofield  to  hold  as  large  a  force  in 
reserve  as  possible,  awaiting  developments.  Not  more 
than  half  an  hour  after  General  McPherson  had  left  me, 
viz.,  about  12|  P.M.,  of  the  22d,  his  adjutant-general,  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Clark,  rode  up  and  reported  that  General 
McPherson  was  either  dead  or  a  prisoner;  that  he  had 
ridden  from  me  to  General  Dodge's  column,  moving  as 
heretofore  described,  and  had  sent  off  nearly  all  his  staff 
and  orderlies  on  various  errands,  and  himself  had  passed 
into  a  narrow  path  or  road  that  led  to  the  left  and  rear  of 
General  Giles  A.  Smith's  division,  which  was  General 
Blair's  extreme  left;  that  a  few  minutes  after  he  had 
entered  the  woods  a  sharp  volley  was  heard  in  that  direc- 
tion, and  his  horse  had  come  out  riderless,  having  two 
wounds.  The  suddenness  of  this  terrible  calamity  would 
have  overwhelmed  me  with  grief,  but  the  living  demanded 
my  whole  thoughts.  I  instantly  dispatched  a  staff-officer 
to  General  John  A.  Logan,  commanding  the  Fifteenth 
Corps,  to  tell  him  what  had  happened  ;  that  he  must  as- 
sume command  of  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  and  hold 
stubbornly  the  ground  already  chosen,  more  especially  the 
hill  gained  by  General  Leggett  the  night  before. 

Already  the  whole  line  was  engaged  in  battle.  Hardee's 
corps  had  sallied  from  Atlanta,  and  by  a  wide  circuit  to 
the  east  had  struck  General  Blair's  left  flank,  enveloped  it, 
and  his  right  had  swung  around  until  it  hit  General  Dodge 
in  motion.  General  Blair's  line  was  substantially  along  the 
old  line  of  the  rebel  trench,  but  it  was  fashioned  to  fight 
outwards.  A  space  of  wooded  ground  of  near  half  a  mile 
intervened  between  the  head  of  General  Dodge's  column 
and  General  Blair's  line,  through  which  the  enemy  had 

poured,  but  the  last  order  ever  given  by  General  MePhev- 
2* 


34:  GENERAL    SHKRMAN's    GREAT    MARCH 

son  was  to  hurry  a  brigade  (Colonel  Wangelin's)  of  the 
Fifteenth  Corps  across  from  the  railroad  to  occupy  this 
gap.  It  came  across  on  the  'double-quick  and  checked  the 
enemy.  While  Hardee  attacked  in  flank,  Stewart's  corps 
was  to  attack  in  front,  directly  out  from  the  main  works, 
but  fortunately  their  attacks  were  not  simultaneous.  The 
enemy  swept  across  the  hill  which  our  men  were  then  for- 
tifying, and  captured  the  pioneer  company,  its  tools,  and 
almost  the  entire  working-party,  and  bore  down  on  our 
left  until  he  encountered  General  Giles  A.  Smith's  division 
of  the  Seventeenth  Corps,  who  was  somewhat  "  in  air," 
and  forced  to  fight  first  from  one  side  of  the  old  rifle-para- 
pet and  then  from  the  other,  gradually  withdrawing  regi- 
ment by  regiment,  so  as  to  form  a  flank  to  General  Leg- 
gett's  division,  which  held  the  apex  of  the  hill,  which  was 
the  only  part  that  was  deemed  essential  to  our  future  plans. 
General  Dodge  had  caught  and  held  well  in  check  the 
enemy's  right,  and  punished  him  severely,  capturing  many 
prisoners.  Smith  (General  Giles  A.)  had  gradually  given 
.up  the  extremity  of  his  line  and  formed  a  new  one,  whose 
right  connected  with  General  Leggett,  and  his  left  refused, 
facing  southeast.  On  this  ground,  and  in  this  order,  the 
men  fought  well  and  desperately  for  near  four  hours, 
checking  and  repulsing  all  the  enemy's  attacks.  The  exe- 
cution on  the  enemy's  ranks  at  the  angle  was  terrible,  and 
great  credit  is  due  both  Generals  Leggett  and  Giles  A. 
Smith,  and  their  men,  for  their  hard  and  stubborn  fighting. 
The  enemy  made  no  further  progress  on  that  flank,  and  by 
4  P.  M.  had  almost  given  up  the  attempt.  In  the  mean 
time  Wheeler's  cavalry,  unopposed  (for  General  Garrard 
was  absent  at  Covington  by  my  order),  had  reached  De- 
catur  and  attempted  to  capture  the  wagon-trains,  but  Col- 
onel, now  General  Sprague,  covered  them  with  great  skill 


FR  >M    CHATTANOOGA.   TO    ATLANTA.  35 

and  success,  sending  them  to  the  rear  of  Generals  Scho- 
field  and  Thomas,  and  not  drawing  back  from  Decatur 
till  every  wagon  was  safe,  except  three  which  the  teamsters 
had  left,  carrying  off  the  mules.  On  our  extreme  left  the 
enemy  had  taken  a  complete  battery  of  six  guns,  with  its 
horses  (Murray's),  of  the  regular  army,  as  it  was  moving 
along  unsupported  and  unapprehensive  of  danger,  in  a 
narrow  wooded  road  in  that  unguarded  space  between  the 
head  of  General  Dodge's  column  and  the  line-of-battle  on 
the  ridge  above,  but  most  of  the  men  escaped  to  the  bushes. 
He  also  got  two  other  guns  on  the  extreme  left  flank,  that 
were  left  on  the  ground  as  General  Giles  A.  Smith  drew 
off  his  men  in  the  manner  heretofore  described.  About 
4  P.  M.  there  was  quite  a  lull,  during  which  the  enemy  felt 
forward  on  the  railroad  and  main  Decatur  road,  and  sud- 
denly assailed  a  regiment  which,  with  a  section  of  guns, 
had  been  thrown  forward  as  a  kind  of  picket,  and  cap- 
tured the  two  guns  ;  he  then  advanced  rapidly  and  broke 
through  our  lines  at  that  point  which  had  been  materially 
weakened  by  the  withdrawal  of  Colonel  Martin's  brigade, 
sent  by  General  Logan's  order  to  the  extreme  left.  The 
other  brigade,  General  Lightburn,  which  held  this  part  of 
the  line,  fell  back  in  some  disorder  about  four  hundred 
yards,  to  a  position  held  by  it  the  night  before,  leaving  the 
enemy  for  a  time  in  possession  of  two  batteries,  one  of 
which,  a  twenty-pounder  Parrott  battery  of  four  guns, 
was  most  valuable  to  us,  and  separating  General  Woods' 
and  General  Harrow's  divisions  of  the  Fifteenth  Corps, 
that  were  on  the  right  and  left  of  the  railroad.  Being  in 
person  close  by  the  spot,  and  appreciating  the  vast  im- 
portance of  the  connection  at  that  point,  I  ordered  certain 
batteries  of  General  Schofield  to  be  moved  to  a  position 
somewhat  commanding,  by  a  left-flank  fire,  and  ordered  an 


36        GENKRAL  SUERMAN's  GKEAT  MAKCH 

incessant  fire  of  shells  on  the  enemy  within  sight,  and  the 
woods  beyond,  to  prevent  his  reinforcing.  I  also  sent 
orders  to  General  Logan,  which  he  had  already  anticipated, 
to  make  the  Fifteenth  Corps  regain  its  lost  ground  at  any 
cost,  and  instructed  General  Woods,  supported  by  General 
Schofield,  to  use  his  division  and  sweep  the  parapet  down 
from  where  he  held  it  until  he  saved  the  batteries  and  re- 
covered the  lost  ground.  The  whole  was  executed  in 
superb  style,  at  times  our  men  and  the  enemy  fighting 
across  the  narrow  parapet ;  but  at  last  the  enemy  gave  way, 
and  the  Fifteenth  Corps  regained  its  position,  and  all  the 
guns,  except  the  two  advanced  ones,  which  were  out  of 
view  and  had  been  removed  by  the  enemy  within  his  main 
work.  With  this  terminated  the  battle  of  the  22d,  which 
cost  us  3,722  killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners. 

But  among  the  dead  was  Major-General  McPherson, 
whose  body  was  recovered  and  brought  to  me  in  the  heat 
of  battle,  and  I  had  sent  it  in  charge  of  his  personal  staff 
back  to  Marietta,  on  its  way  to  his  Northern  home.  He 
was  a  noble  youth,  of  striking  personal  appearance,  of  the 
highest  professional  capacity,  and  with  a  heart  abounding 
in  kindness,  that  drew  to  him  the  affections  of  all  men. 
His  sudden  death  devolved  the  command  of  the  Army  of 
the  Tennessee  on  the  no  less  brave  and  gallant  General 
Logan,  who  nobly  sustained  his  reputation  and  that  of  his 
veteran  army,  and  avenged  the  death  of  his  comrade  and 
commander.  The  enemy  left  on  the  field  his  dead  and 
wounded,  and  about  a  thousand  well  prisoners.  His  dead 
alone  are  computed  by  General  Logan  at  3,240,  of  which 
number  2,200  were  from  actual  count,  and  of  these  he  de- 
livered to  the  enemy,  under  a  flag  of  truce  sent  in  by  him 
(the  enemy),  800  bodies.  I  entertain  no  doubt  that  in  the 
battle  of  July  22d  the  enemy  sustained  an  aggregate  loss 


FROM    CHATTANOOGA    TO    ATLANTA.  37 

of  full  8,OCO  men.  The  next  day  General  Garrard  returned 
from  Covington,  having  succeeded  perfectly  in  his  mission, 
and  destroyed  the  bridges  at  Ulcofauhatchee  and  Yellow 
rivers,  besides  burning  a  train  of  cars,  a  large  quantity  of 
cotton  (2,000  bales),  and  the  depots  of  stores  at  Covington 
and  Conyer's  Station,  and  bringing  in  200  prisoners  and 
some  good  horses,  losing  but  two  men,  one  of  whom  was 
killed  by  accident.  Having,  therefore,  sufficiently  crippled 
the  Augusta  Yoad,  and  rendered  it  useless  to  the  enemy,  I 
then  addressed  myself  to  the  task  of  reaching  the  Macon 
road,  over  which,  of  necessity,  came  the  stores  and  ammu- 
nition that  alone  maintained  the  rebel  army  in  Atlanta. 

Generals  Schofield  and  Thomas  had  closed  well  up, 
holding  the  enemy  behind  his  inner  intrenchments.  I  first 
ordered  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee  to  prepare  to  vacate  its 
line  and  to  shift  by  the  right  below  Proctor's  Creek,  and 
General  Schofield  to  extend  up  to  the  Augusta  road. 
About  the  same  time  General  Rousseau  had  arrived  from 
his  expedition  to  Opelika,  bringing  me  about  2,000  good 
cavalry,  but  of  course  fatigued  with  its  long  and  rapid 
march  ;  and  ordering  it  to  relieve  General  Stoneman  at 
the  river  about  Sandtown,  I  shifted  General  Stoneman  to 
our  left  flank,  and  ordered  all  rny  cavalry  to  prepare  for  a 
blow  at  the  Macon  road  simultaneous  with  the  movement 
of  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee  towards  East  Point.  To  ac- 
complish this  I  gave  General  Stoneman  the  command  of 
his  own  and  General  Garrard's  cavalry,  making  an  effective 
force  of  full  5,000  men  ;  and  to  General  McCook  I  gave 
his  own  and  the  new  cavalry  brought  by  General  Rousseau, 
which  was  commanded  by  Colonel  Harrison,  of  the  8th 
Indiana  cavalry,  in  the  aggregate  about  4,000.  These  two 
well-appointed  bodies  were  to  move  in  concert,  the  former 
by  the  left  around  Atlanta  to  McDonough,  and  the  latter 


GENERAL  SHERMAN^  GRKAT  MARCH 

by  the  right  on  Fayetteville ;  and  on  a  certain  night,  viz., 
July  28th,  they  were  to  meet  on  the  Macon  road  near 
Lovejoy's,  and  destroy  it  in  the  most  effectual  manner.  I 
estimated  this  joint  cavalry  could  whip  all  Wheeler's 
cavalry,  and  could  otherwise  fully  accomplish  its  task;  and 
I  think  so  still.  I  had  the  officers  in  command  to  meet  me, 
and  explained  the  movement  perfectly,  and  they  entertained 
not  a  doubt  of  perfect  success.  At  the  very  moment  almost 
of  starting,  General  Stoneman  addressed  me  a  note  asking 
permission,  after  fulfilling  his  orders  and  breaking  the  road, 
to  be  allowed,  with  his  command  proper,  to  proceed'  to 
Macon  and  Andersonville,  and  release  our  prisoners  of  war 
confined  at  those  points.  There  was  something  most  cap- 
tivating in  the  idea,  and  the  execution  was  within  the 
bounds  of  probability  of  success.  I  consented  that,  after 
the  defeat  of  Wheeler's  cavalry,  which  was  embrace^  in 
his  orders,  and  breaking  the  road,  he  might  attempt  it  with 
his  cavalry  proper,  sending  that  of  General  Garrard  back 
to  its  proper  flank  of  the  army.  Both  cavalry  expeditions 
started  at  the  time  appointed.  I  have  as  yet  no  report 
from  General  Stoneman,  who  is  a  prisoner  of  war  at  Macon, 
but  I  know  that  he  dispatched  General  Garrard's  cavalry 
to  Flat  Rock,  for  the  purpose  of  covering  his  own  move- 
ment to  McDonough  ;  but  for  some  reason  unknown  to  me 
he  went  off"  towards  Covington,  and  did  not  again  commu- 
nicate with  General  Garrard  at  Flat  Rock.  General  Gar- 
rard remained  there  until  the  29th,  skirmishing  heavily 
with  a  part  of  Wheeler's  cavalry,  and  occupying  their 
attention  ;  but  hearing  nothing  from  General  Stoneman,  lie 
moved  back  to  Conyer's,  where,  learning  that  General 
-Stoneman  had  gone  to  Covington  and  south  on  the  east 
side  of  the  Ocmulgee,  he  retunved  and  resumed  his  position 
on  our  left.  It  is  known  that  General  Stoneman  kept  to 


FROM    CHATTANOOGA    TO    ATLANTA.  39 

the  east  of  the  Ocmulgee  to  Clinton,  sending  detachments 
off  to  the  east,  which  did  a  larg-e  amount  of  damage  to  the 
railroad,  burning  the  bridges  of  Walnut  Creek  and  Oconee, 
and  destroying  a  large  number  of  cars  and  locomotives, 
and  with  his  main  force  appeared  before  Macon.  He  did 
not  succeed  in  crossing  the  Ocmulgee  at  Macon,  or  in  ap- 
proaching Andersonville,  but  retired  in  the  direction  whence 
he  came,  followed  by  various  detachments  of  mounted  men 
under  a  General  Iverson.  He  seems  to  have  become 
hemmed  in,  and  gave  consent  to  two  thirds  of  his  force  to 
escape  back  whilst  he  held  the  enemy  in  check  with  the 
remainder,  about  700  men,  and  a  section  of  light  guns. 
One  brigade,  Colonel  Adams,  came  in  almost  intact. 
Another,  commanded  by  Colonel  Capron,  was  surprised  on 
the  way  back,  and  scattered  ;  many  were  captured  and 
killed,  and  the  balance  got  in  mostly  unarmed  and  afoot, 
and  the  general  himself  surrendered  his  small  command, 
and  is  now  a  prisoner  at  Macon.  His  mistake  was  in  not 
making  the  first  concentration  with  Generals  McCook  and 
Garrard,  near  Lovejoy's,  according  to  his  orders,  which  is 
yet  unexplained. 

General  McCook,  in  the  execution  of  his  part,  went 
down  the  west  bank  of  the  Chattahoochie  to  near  River- 
town,  where  he  laid  a  pontoon  bridge  with  which  he  was 
provided,  crossed  his  command,  and  moved  rapidly  on 
Palmetto  Station  of  the  West  Point  road,  where  he  tore 
up  a  section  of  track,  leaving  a  regiment  to  create  a  diver- 
sion towards  Campbelltown,  which  regiment  fulfilled  its 
duty,  arid  returned  to  camp  by  way  of,  and  escorting  back, 
the  pontoon-bridge  train.  General  McCook  then  rapidly 
moved  to  Fayetteville,  where  he  found  a  large  number  of 
the  wagons  belonging  to  the  rebel  army  in  Atlanta.  These 
he  burned  to  the  number  of  500,  killing  800  mules,  and 


40  GENERAL   SHKRMAu's    GKKAT   MARCH 

carrying  along  others,  and  taking  250  prisoners,  mostly 
quartermasters  and  men  belonging  to  the  trains.  He  then 
pushed  for  the  railroad,  reaching  it  at  Lovejoy's  Station  at 
the  time  appointed.  He  burned  the  depot,  tore  up  a  sec- 
tion of  the  road,  and  continued  to  work  Until  forced  to 
leave  off  to  defend  himself  against  an  accumulating  force 
of  the  enemy.  He  could  hear  nothing  of  General  Stone- 
man,  and  finding  his  progress  east  too  strongly  opposed, 
he  moved  south  and  west,  and  reached  Xewman,  on  the 
West  Point  road,  where  he  encountered  an  infantry  force 
corning  from  Mississippi  to  Atlanta,  which  had  been  stopped 
by  the  break  he  had  made  at  Palmetto.  This  force,  with 
the  pursuing  cavalry,  hemmed  him  in,  and  forced  him  to 
fight.  He  was  compelled  to  drop  his  prisoners  and  captures, 
and  cut  his  way  out,  losing  some  500  officers  and  men. 
Among  them  a  most  valuable  officer,  Colonel  Harrison, 
who,  when  fighting  his  men  as  skirmishers  on  foot,  was 
overcome  and  made  prisoner,  and  is  now  at  Macon.  He 
cut  his  way  out,  reached  the  Chattahoochie,  crossed  and 
got  to  Marietta  without  further  loss.  • 

General  McCook  is  entitled  to  much  credit  for  thus  saving 
his  command,  which  was  endangered  by  the  failure  of 
General  Stoneman  to  reach  Lovejoy's.  But,  on  the  whole, 
the  cavalry  raid  is  not  deemed  a  success,  for  the  real  pur- 
pose was  to  break  the  enemy's  communications,  which, 
though  done,  was  on  so  limited  a  scale  that  I  knew  the 
damages  would  soon  be  repaired. 

Pursuant  to  the  general  plan,  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee 
drew  out  of  its  lines  near  the  Decatur  road  du'ring  the 
night  of  July  26,  and  on  the  27th  moved  behind  the  rest 
of  the  army  to  Proctor's  Creek,  and  south,  to  prolong  our 
line  due  south,  facing  east.  On  that  day,  by  appointment 
of  the  President  of  the  United  States,  Major-General 


FROM  CHATTANOOGA  TO  ATLANTA.         41 

Howard  assumed  command  of  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee, 
and  had  the  general  supervision  of  the  movement,  which 
was  made  en  echelon — General  Dodge's  corps,  Sixteenth, 
on  the  left,  nearest  the  enemy ;  General  Blair's  corps, 
Seventeenth,  next  to  come  up  on  its  right ;  and  General 
Logan's  corps,  Fifteenth,  to  come  up  on  its  right  and  refused 
as  a  flank  ;  the  whole  to  gain  as  much  ground,  due  south 
from  the  flank  already  established  on  Proctor's  Creek,  as 
was  consistent  with  a  proper  strength.  General  Dodge's 
men  got  into  line  in  the  evening  of  the  27th,  and  General 
Blair's  came  into  line  on  his  right  early  on  the  morning  of 
the  28th,  his  right  reaching  an  old  meeting-house  called 
Ezra  church,  near  some  large  openfields  by  the  Poorhouse, 
on  a  road  known  as  the  Bell's  Ferry  or  Lickskillet  road. 
Here  the  Fifteenth  Corps,  General  Logan's,  joined  on  and 
refused  along  a  ridge  well  wooded,  which  partially  com- 
manded a  view  over  the  same  fields.  About  10  A.  M.  all 
the  army  was  in  position,  and  the  men  were  busy  in  throw- 
ing up  the  accustomed  piles  of  rails  and  logs,  which  after 
awhile  assumed  the  form  of  a  parapet.  The  skill  and  ra- 
pidity with  which  our  men  construct  them  is  wonderful, 
and  is  something  new  in  the  art  of  war.  I  rode  along  his 
whole  line  about  that  time,  and  as  I  approached  Ezra 
church  there  was  considerable  artillery  firing  enfilading  the 
road  in  which  I  was  riding,  killing  an  orderly's  horse  just 
behind  my  staff.  I  struck  across  an  open  field  to  where 
General  Howard  was  standing,  in  the  rear  of  the  Fifteenth 
Corps,  and  walked  up  to  the  ridge  with  General  Morgan 
L.  Smith,  to  see  if  the  battery  which  enfiladed  the  main 
road  and  line  of  rail- piles  could  not  be  disposed  of,  and 
heard  General  Smith  give  the  necessary  orders  for  the  de- 
ployment of  one  regiment  forward  and  another  to  make  a 
circuit  to  the  right,  when  I  returned  to  where  General 


2  GENKRAL    SHERMAN       GREAT   MARCH 

Howard  was,  and  remained  there  until  12  o'clock.  During 
this  time  there  was  nothing  to  indicate  serious  battle,  save 
the  shelling  by  one  or  at  most  two  batteries  from  beyond 
the  large  field  in  front  of  the  Fifteenth  Corps. 

Wishing  to  be  well  prepared  to  defeat  the  enemy  if  he 
repeated  his  game  of  the  22d,  I  had  the  night  before 
ordered  General  Davis's  division  of  General  Palmer's  corps, 
which,  by  the  movement  of  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee, 
had  been  left,  as  it  were,  in  reserve,  to  move  down  to 
Turner's  Ferry,  and  thence  towards  Whitehall  or  East  Point, 
aiming  to  reach  the  flank  of  General  Howard's  new  line, 
hoping  that,  in  case  of  an  attack,  this  division  would  in 
turn  catch  the  attacking  force,  in  flank  or  rear,  at  an  unex- 
pected moment.  I  explained  it  to  General  Howard,  and 
bade  him  expect  the  arrival  of  such  a  force  in  case  of  battle. 
Indeed,  I  expected  to  hear  the  fire  of  its  skirmishers  by 
noon.  General  Davis  was  sick  that  day,  and  Brigadier- 
General  Morgan  commanded  the  division  which  had 
marched  early  for  Turner's  Ferry  ;  but  many  of  the  roads 
laid  down  on  our  maps  did  not  exist  at  all,  and  General 
Morgan  was  delayed  thereby.  I  rode  back  to  make  more 
particular  inquiries  as  to  this  division,  and  had  just  reached 
General  Davis's  headquarters  at  Proctor's  Creek  when  I 
heard  musketry  open  heavily  on  the  right.  The  enemy 
had  come  out  of  Atlanta  by  the  Bell's  Ferry  road,  and 
formed  his  masses  in  the  open  fields  behind  a  swell  of 
ground,  and,  after  the  artillery  firing  I  have  described,  ad- 
vanced in  parallel  lines  directly  against  the  Fifteenth 
Corps,  expecting  to  catch  that  flank  in  air.  His  advance 
was  magnificent,  but  founded  in  an  error  that  cost  him 
sadly,  for  our  men  coolly  and  deliberately  cut  down  his 
men,  and,  spite  of  the  efforts  of  the  rebel  officers,  his  ranks 
broke  and  fled.  But  they  were  rallied  again  and  again, 


FROM   CHATTANOOGA    TO    ATLANTA.  43 

as  often  as  six  times  at  some  points,  and  a  few  of  the  rebel 
officers  and  men  reached  our  lines  of  rail-piles  only  to  be 
killed  or  hauled  over  as  prisoners. 

These  assaults  occurred  from  noon  until  about  4  p.  M., 
when  the  enemy  disappeared,  leaving  his  dead  and  wounded 
in  our  hands.  As  many  as  642  dead  were  counted  and 
buried,  and  still  others  are  known  to  have  been  buried 
which  were  not  counted  by  the  regularly  detailed  burial- 
parties. 

General  Logan  on  this  occasion  was  conspicuous  as  on 
the  22d,  his  corps  being  chiefly  engaged ;  but  General 
Howard  had  drawn  from  the  other  corps,  Sixteenth  and 
Seventeenth,  certain  reserves  which  were  near  at  hand,  but 
not  used.  Our  entire  loss  is  reported  less  than  600,  whereas 
that  of  the  enemy,  in  killed  and  wounded,  not  less  than 
5,000.  Had  General  Davis's  division  come  up  on  the  Bell's 
Ferry  road,  as  I  calculated,  at  any  time  before  4  o'clock, 
what  was  simply  a  complete  repulse  would  have  been  a 
disastrous  route  to  the  enemy.  But  I  cannot  attribute  the 
failure  to  want  of  energy  or  intelligence,  and  must  charge 
it,  like  many  other  things  in  this  campaign,  to  the  peculiar 
tangled  nature  of  the  forests  and  absence  of  roads  that 
would  admit  the  rapid  movement  of  troops. 

This  affair  terminated  all  efforts  of  the  enemy  to  check 
our  extensions  by  the  flank,  which  afterwards  proceeded 
with  comparative  ease  ;  but  he  met  our  extensions  to  the 
south  by  rapid  and  well-constructed  forts  and  rifle-pits, 
built  between  us  and  the  railroad  to  and  below  East  Point, 
remaining  perfectly  on  the  defensive. 

Finding  that  the  right/flank  of  the  Army  of  the  Ten- 
nessee did  not  reach,  I  was  forced  to  shift  General  Scho- 
field  to  that  flank  also,  and  afterwards  General  Palmer's 
corps  of  General  Thomas's  army.  General  Schofield  moved 


44  GENERAL    SHEKMAN^S    GREAT   MARCH 

from  the  left  on  the  1st  of  August,  and  General  Palmer's 
corps  followed  at  once,  taking  a  line  below  Utoy  Creek,  and 
General  Schoh'eld  prolonged  it  to  a  point  near  East  Point. 
The  enemy  made  no  offensive  opposition,  but  watched  our 
movements,  and  extended  his  lines  and  parapets  accord- 

»giy. 

About  this  time  several  changes  in  important  commands 
occurred,  which  should  be  noted.  General  Hooker,  offended 
that  General  Howard  was  preferred  to  him  as  the  successor 
of  General  McPherson,  resigned  his  command  of  the 
Twentieth  Corps,  to  which  General  Slocum  was  appointed  ; 
but  he  was  at  Vicksburg,  and,  until  he  joined,  the  command 
of  the  corps  devolved  on  General  H.  S.  Williams,  who 
handled  it  admirably.  General  Palmer  also  resigned  the 
command  of  the  Fourteenth  Corps,  and  General  Jeff.  C. 
Davis  was  appointed  to  his  place.  Major-General  D.  S. 
Stanley  had  succeeded  General  Howard  in  the  command  of 
the  Fourth  Corps. 

From  the  2d  to  the  5th  we  continued  to  extend  to  the 
right,  demonstrating  strongly  on  the  left  and  along  our 
whole  line.  General  Reilley's  brigade  of  General  Cox's 
division,  General  Schofield's  army,  on  the  5th  tried  to 
break  through  the  enemy's  line  about  a  mile  below  Utoy 
'Creek,  but  failed  to  carry  the  position,  losing  about  400 
men,  who  were  caught  in  the  entanglements  and  abattis  ; 
but  the  next  day  the  position  was  turned  by  General  lias- 
call,  and  General  Schofield  advanced  his  whole  line  close 
up  to  and  facing  the  enemy  below  Utoy  Creek.  Still  he 
did  not  gain  the  desired  foothold  on  either  the  West  Point 
or  Macon  railroad.  The  enemy's  line  at  that  time  must 
have  been  near  fifteen  miles  long,  extending  from  near  De- 
catur  to  below  East  Point.  This  he  was  enabled  to  do  by 
the  use  of  a  large  force  of  State  militia,  and  his  position 


FROM    CHATTANOOGA    TO    ATLANTA.  45 

\vas  so  masked  by  the  shape  of  the  ground  that  we  were 
unable  to  discover  the  weak  parts. 

I  had  become  satisfied  that  to  reach  the  Macon  road, 
and  thereby  control  the  supplies  for  Atlanta,  I  would  have 
to  move  the  whole  army ;  but  before  beginning,  I  ordered 
down  from  Chattanooga  four  four-and-a-halt-inch  rifled 
guns,  to  try  their  effect.  These  arrived  on  the  10th,  and 
were  put  to  work  night  and  day,  and  did  execution  on  the 
city,  causing  frequent  fires,  and  creating  confusion  ;  yet 
the  enemy  seemed  determined  to  hold  his  forts,  even  if  the 
city  were  destroyed.  On  the  16th  of  August  I  made  my 
orders,  Xo.  57,  prescribing  the  mode  and  manner  of  exe- 
cuting the  grand  movement  by  the  right  flank,  to  begin  on 
the  18th.  This  movement  contemplated  the  withdrawal  of 
the  Twentieth  Corps,  General  Williams,  to  the  intrenched 
position  at  the  Chattahoochie  Bridge,  and  the  march  of  the 
main  army  to  the  West  Point  Railroad,  near  Fairborn, 
and  afterwards  to  the  Macon  road,  at  or  near  Jonesboro', 
with  our  wagons  loaded  with  provisions  for  fifteen  days. 
About  the  time  of  the  publication  of  these  orders  I  learned 
that  Wheeler,  with  a  large  mounted  force  of  the  enemy, 
variously  estimated  from  6,000  to '10,000  men,  had  passed 
around  by  the  east  and  north,  and  had  made  his  appearance 
on  our  lines  of  communication  near  Adairsville,  and  had  suc- 
ceeded in  capturing  900  of  our  beef-cattle,  and  had  made 
aljreak  of  the  railroad  near  Calhoun.  I  could  not  have 
asked  any  tiling  better,  for  I  had  provided  well  against 
such  a  contingency,  and  this  detachment  left  me  superior 
to  the  enemy  in  cavalry.  I  suspended  the  execution  of  my 
orders  for  the  time  being,  and  ordered  General  Kilpatrick 
to  make  up  a  well-appointed  force  of  about  5,000  cavalry, 
and  to  move  from  his  camp  about  Sandtown,  during  the 
night  of  the  18th,  to  the  West  Point  road,  and  break  it 


46  GENERAL    BHEKMAN's    GltKAT   MAKCII 

good  near  Fairborn  ;  then  to  proceed  across  to  the  Macon 
road,  and  tear  it  up  thoroughly  ;  to  avoid  as  far  as  possible 
the  enemy's  infantry,  but  to  attack  any  cavalry  he  could 
find.  I  thought  this  cavalry  would  save  the  necessity  01 
moving  the  main  army  across,  and  that,  in  case  of  his  suc- 
cess, it  would  leave  me  in  better  position  to  take  full  ad- 
vantage of  the  result. 

General  Kilpatrick  got  off  at  the  time  appointed,  and 
broke  the  West  road,  and  afterwards  reached  the  Macon 
road  at  Jonesboro',  where  he  whipped  Ross's  cavalry  and 
got  possession  of  the  railroad,  which  he  held  for  five  hours, 
damaging  it  considerably.  But  a  brigade  of  the  enemy's 
infantry,  which  had  been  dispatched  below  Jonesboro'  in 
cars,  was  run  back  and  disembarked,  and,  with  Jackson's 
rebel  cavalry,  made  it  impossible  for  him  to  continue  his 
work.  He  drew  off  to  the  east,  and  made  a  circuit,  and 
struck  the  railroad  about  Lovejoy's  Station,  but  was  again 
threatened  by  the  enemy,  who  moved  on  shorter  lines, 
when  he  charged  through  their  cavalry,  taking  many 
prisoners,  of  which  he  brought  in  70,  and  captured  a  four- 
gun  batteiy,  which  he  destroyed,  except  one  gun,  which  he 
brought  in.  He  estimated  the  damage  done  to  the  road 
as  enough  to  interrupt  its  use  for  ten  days  ;  after  which  he 
returned  by  a  circuit  north  and  east,  reaching  Decatur  on 
the  22d.  After  an  interview  with  General  Kilpatrick,  I  \vas 
satisfied  that  whatever  damage  he  had  done  would  not 
produce  the  result  desired,  and  I  renewed  my  orders  for 
the  movement  of  the  whole  army.  This  involved  the  ne- 
cessity of  raising  the  siege  of  Atlanta,  taking  the  field  with 
our  main  force,  and  using  it  against  the  communications  of 
Atlanta  instead  of  against  its  intreuchments.  All  the  army 
commanders  were  at  once  notified  to  send  their  surplus 
wagons,  encumbrances  of  all  kinds,  and  sick,  back  to  our 


FKOM   CHATTANOOGA   TO   ATLANTA.  47 

intrenched  position  at  the  bridge,  and  that  the  movement 
would  begin  during  the  night  of  the  25th.  Accordingly, 
all  things  being  ready,  the  Fourth  Corps,  General  Stanley, 
drew  out  of  its  lines  on  our  extreme  left,  and  marched  to  a 
position  below  Proctor's  Creek.  The  Twentieth  Corps, 
General  Williams,  moved  back  to  the  Chattahoochie.  This 
movement  was  made  without  loss,  save  a  few  things  left  in 
our  camps  by  thoughtless  officers  or  men.  The  night  of 
the  26th  the  movement  continued,  the  Army  of  the  Ten- 
nessee drawing  out  and  moving  rapidly  by  a  circuit  well 
towards  Sandtown  and  across  Camp  Creek,  the  Army  of 
the  Cumberland  below  Utoy  Creek,  General  Schofield,  re- 
maining in  position.  This  was  effected  with  the  loss  of  but 
a  single  man  in  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  wounded  by  a 
shell  from  the  enemy.  The  third  movement  brought  the 
Army  of  the  Tennessee  on  the  West  Point  Railroad,  above 
Fairborn,  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland  about  Red  Oak, 
and  General  Schofield  closed  in  near  Digs  and  Mins.  I 
then  ordered  one  day's  work  to  be  expended  in  destroying 
that  road,  and  it  was  done  with  a  will.  Twelve  and  one- 
half  miles  were  destroyed,  the  ties  burned,  and  the  iron 
rails  heated  and  tortured  by  the  utmost  ingenuity  of  old 
hands  at  the  work.  Several  cuts  were  filled  up  with  the 
trunks  of  trees,  with  logs,  rock,  and  earth  intermingled 
with  loaded  shells,  prepared  as  torpedoes,  to  explode  in 
case  of  an  attempt  to  clear  them  out.  Having  personally 
inspected  this  work,  and  satisfied  with  its  execution,  I 
ordered  the  whole  army  to  move  the  next  day  eastward 
by  several  roads :  General  Howard  on  the  right,  towards 
Jonesboro' ;  General  Thomas,  the  centre,  by  Shoal  Creek 
church  to  Couch's,  on  the  Decatur  and  Fayetteville  road  ; 
and  General  Schotield  on  the  left,  about  Morrow's  mills. 
An  inspection  of  the  map  will  show  the  strategic  advan- 


48        GENERAL  SHEKMAN's  GREAT  MAKCH 

0 

tages  of  this  position.  The  railroad  from  Atlanta  to 
Macon  follows  substantially  the  ridge  or  "  divide"  between 
the  waters  of  Flint  and  Ocmulgee  rivers,  and  from  east 
Point  to  Jonesboro'  makes  a  wide  bend  to  the  east. 
Therefore  the  position  I  have  described,  which  had  been 
well  studied  on  paper,  was  my  first  "  objective."  It  gave 
me  "  interior  lines,"  something  our  enemy  had  enjoyed  too 
long,  and  I  was  anxious  for  once  to  get  the  inside  track, 
and  therefore  my  haste  and  desire  to  secure  it. 

The  several  columns  moved  punctually  on  the  morning 
of  the  29th.  General  Thomas,  on  the  centre,  encountered 
little  opposition  or  difficulty,  save  what  resulted  from  the 
narrow  roads,  and  reached  his  position  at  Couch's  early  in 
the  afternoon  ;  General  Schofield  being  closer  to  the  enemy, 
who  still  clung  to  East  Point,  moved  cautiously  on  a  small 
circle  around  that  point,  and  came  into  position  towards 
Rough-and-Ready  ;  and  General  Howard,  having  the  outer 
circle,  had  a  greater  distance  to  move.  He  encountered 
cavalry,  which  he  drove  rapidly  to  the  crossing  of  Shoal 
Creek,  where  the  enemy  also  had  artillery.  Here  a  short 
delay  occurred,  and  some  cannonading  and  skirmishing ; 
but  General  Howard  started  them  again,  and  kept  them 
moving,  passed  the  Renfro  place  on  the  Decatur  road, 
which  was  the  point  indicated  for  him  in  the  orders  of  that 
day ;  but  he  wisely  and  well  kept  on,  and  pushed  on 
towards  Jonesboro',  saved  the  bridge  across  Flint  River, 
and  did  not  halt  until  darkness  compelled  him,  within  half 
a  mile  of  Jonesboro'.  Here  he  rested  for  the  night,  and 
on  the  morning  of  August  31st,  finding  himself  in  the 
presence  of  a  heavy  force  of  the  enemy,  he  deployed  the 
Fifteenth  Corps,  and  disposed  the  Sixteenth  and  Seven- 
teenth on  its  flanks.  The  men  covered  their  front  with  the 
usual  parapet,  and  were  soon  prepared  to  act  offensively  or 


FKOM   CHATTANOOGA   TO   ATLANTA.  49 

defensively,  as  the  case  called  for.  I  was  that  night  with 
General  Thomas  at  Couch's,  and  as  soon  as  I  learned  that 
General  Howard  had  passed  Renfro's,  I  directed  ,  General 
Thomas  to  send  to  that  place  a  division  of  General  Jeff. 
C.  Davis's  corps,  to  move  General  Stanley's  corps,  in  con- 
nection with  General  Schofield's,  towards  Rough-and- 
Ready,  and  then  to  send  forward  due  east  a  strong  de- 
tachment of  General  Davis's  corps,  to  feel  for  the  railroad. 
General  Schofield  was  also  ordered  to  move  boldly  forward 
and  strike  the  railroad  near  Rough-and-Ready.  These 
movements  were  progressing  during  the  31st,  when  the 
enemy  came  out  of  his  works  at  Jonesboro',  and  attacked 
General  Howard  in  position  described.  General  Howard 
was  admirably  situated  to  receive  him,  and  repulse  the 
attack  thoroughly.  The  enemy  attacked  with  Lee's  and 
Hardee's  corps,  and  after  a  contest  of  over  two  hours 
withdrew,  leaving  over  400  dead  on  the  ground  ;  and  his 
wounded,  of  which  about  300  were  left  in  Jonesboro', 
could  not  have  been  less  than  2,500.  Hearing  the  sounds 
of  battle  at  Jonesboro'  about  noon,  orders  were  renewed 
to  push  the  other  movements  on  the  left  and  centre,  and 
about  4  P.  M.  the  reports  arrived  simultaneously  that  Gen- 
eral Howard  had  thoroughly  repulsed  the  enemy  at  Jones- 
boro' ;  that  General  Schofield  had  reached  the  railroad  a 
mile  below  Rough-and-Ready,  and  was  working  upf  the 
road,  breaking  it  as  he  went ;  that  General  Stanley,  of 
General  Thomas's  army,  had  also  got  the  road  below  Gen- 
eral Schofield,  and  was  destroying  its  working  south ;  and 
that  General  Baird,  of  General  Davis's  corps,  had  struck  it 
still  lower  down,  within  four  miles  of  Jonesboro'. 

Orders  were  at  once  given  for  all  the  army  to  turn  on 
Jonesboro',  General  Howard  to  keep  the  enemy  busy 
whilst  General  Thomas  should  move  down  from  the  north, 

3 


50  GENERAL   SHERMAN^    GKEAT   MARCH 

with  General  Schofield  on  his  left.  I  also  ordered  the 
troops,  as  they  moved  down,  to  continue  the  thorough  de- 
struction of  the  railroad,  because  we  had  it  then,  and  I  did 
not  know  but  that  events  might  divert  our  attention. 
General  Garrard's  cavalry  was  directed  to  watch  the  roads 
to  our  rear,  the  north.  General  Kilpatrick  was  sent  south, 
down  the  west  bank  of  Flint,  with  instructions  to  attack 
or  threaten  the  railroad  below  Jonesboro'.  I  expected  the 
•whole  army  would  close  down  on  Jonesboro'  by  noon  of 
the  1st  of  September.  General  Davis's  corps,  having  a 
shorter  distance  to  travel,  was  on  time  and  deployed,  facing 
south,  his  right  in  connection  with  General  Howard,  and 
his  left  on  the  railroad.  General  Stanley  and  General 
Schofield  were  coming  down  along  the  Rough-and  Ready 
road,  and  along  the  railroad,  breaking  it  as  they  came. 
When  General  Davis  joined  to  General  Howard,  General 
Blair's  corps  on  General  Howard's  left  was  thrown  in  re- 
serve, and  was  immediately  sent  well  to  the  right  below 
Jonesboro'  to  act  against  the  flank  along  with  General 
Kilpatrick's  cavalry.  About  4  P.  M.  General  Davis  was  all 
ready,  and  assaulted  the  enemy's  lines  across  open  fields, 
carrying  them  very  handsomely,  and  taking  as  prisoners 
the  greater  part  of  Govan's  brigade,  including  its  com- 
mander, with  two  four-gun  batteries.  Repeated  orders 
were  sent  to  Generals  Stanley  and  Schofield  to  hurry  up, 
but  the  difficult  nature  of  the  country  and  the  absence  of 
roads  are  the  reasons  assigned  why  these  troops  did  not 
get  well  into  position  for  attack  before  night  rendered  fur- 
ther operations  impossible.  Of  course,  the  next  morning 
the  enemy  was  gone,  and  had  retreated  south.  About  2 
o'clock  that  night,  the  sounds  of  heavy  explosions  were 
heard  in  the  direction  of  Atlanta,  distance  about  twenty 
miles,  with  a  succession  of  minor  explosions,  and  what 


FROM   CHATTANOOGA   TO    ATLANTA.  51 

seemed  like  the  rapid  firing  of  cannon  and  musketry. 
These  continued  for  about  an  hour,  and  again,  about  4 
i..  M.,  occurred  another  series  of  similar  discharges,  ap- 
parently nearer  us,  and  these  sounds  could  be  accounted 
for  on  no  other  hypothesis  than  of  a  night  attack  on  At- 
lanta by  General  Slocum,  or  the  blowing  up  of  the  enemy's 
magazines.  Nevertheless,  at  daybreak,  on  finding  the 
enemy  gone  from  his  lines  at  Jonesboro',  I  ordered  a  gen- 
eral pursuit  south,  General  Thomas  following  to  the  left  of 
the  railroad,  General  Howard  on  his  right,  and  General 
Schofield  keeping  off  about  two  miles  to  the  east.  "We 
overtook  the  enemy  again,  near  Lovejoy's  Station,  in  a 
strong  intrenched  position,  with  his  flanks  well  protected 
behind  a  branch  of  Walnut  Creek,  to  the  right,  and  a  con- 
fluent of  the  Flint  River  to  his  left.  We  pushed  close  up 
and  reconnoitred  the  ground,  and  found  he  had  evidently 
halted  to  cover  his  communication  with  the  McDonough 
and  Fayetteville  road. 

Rumors  began  to  arrive,  through  prisoners  captured, 
that  Atlanta  had  been  abandoned  during  the  night  of  Sep- 
tember 1st,  that  Hood  had  blown  up  his  ammunition  trains, 
which  accounted  for  the  sounds  so  plainly  heard  by  us,  and 
which  were  yet  unexplained ;  that  Stewart's  corps  was 
then  retreating  towards  McDonough,  and  that  the  militia 
had  gone  off  towards  Covington.  It  was  then  too  late  to 
interpose  and  prevent  their  escape,  and  I  was  satisfied 
with  the  substantial  success  already  gained.  Accordingly, 
I  ordered  the  work  of  destroying  railroad  to  cease,  and 
the  troops  to  be  held  in  hand  ready  for  any  movement  that 
further  information  from  Atlanta  might  warrant.  . 

General  Jeff.  C.  Davis's  corps  had  been  left  above  Jones- 
boro', and  General  Garrard'.s  cavalry  was  still  further  back, 
and  the  latter  was  ordered  to  send  back  to  Atlanta  and 


52         GENERAL  SHERMAN^  GREAT  MARCH 

ascertain  the  exact  truth  and  the  real  situation  of  affairs. 
But  the  same  night,  viz.,  of  September  4th,  a  courier  ar- 
rived from  General  Slocum  reporting  the  fact  that  the 
enemy  had  evacuated  Atlanta,  blown  up  seven  trains  of 
cars,  and  had  retreated  on  the  McDonough  road.  General 
Slocum  had  entered  and  taken  possession  on  the  2d  of 
September. 

The  object  of  my  movement  against  the  railroad  was 
therefore  already  reached  and  concluded,  and  as  it  was 
idle  to  pursue  our  enemy  in  that  wooded  country,  with  a 
view  to  his  capture,  I  gave  orders  on  the  4th  for  the  army 
to  prepare  to  move  back  slowly  to  Atlanta.  On  the  5th 
we  drew  back  to  the  vicinity  of  Jonesboro',  five  miles, 
where  we  remained  a  day.  On  the  7th  we  moved  to 
Rough-and  Ready,  seven  miles,  and  the  next  day  to  the 
camps  selected,  viz. :  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland  group- 
ed round  about  Atlanta,  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee  about 
East  Point,  and  that  of  the  Ohio  at  Decatur,  where  the 
men  now  occupy  clean  and  healthy  camps. 

I  have  not  yet  received  full  or  satisfactory  accounts  of 
Wheeler's  operations  to  our  rear,  further  than  that  he 
broke  the  road  about  Calhoun,  and  then  made  his  appear- 
ance at  Dalton,  where  Colonel  Laibold  held  him  in  check 
until  General  Steedman  arrived  from  Chattanooga  and 
drove  him  off.  He  then  passed  up  into  East  Tennessee, 
and  made  quite  a  stay  at  Athens ;  but,  on  the  first  show 
of  pursuit,  he  kept  on  north  across  the  Little  Tennessee ; 
and  crossing  the  Holston  near  Strawberry  Plains,  reached 
the  Clinch  near  Clinton,  and  passed  over  towards  Sequat- 
chee  and  McMinnville.  Thence  he  seems  to  have  gone  to 
Murfreesboro'  and  Lebanon,  and  across  to  Franklin.  He 
may  have  committed  damage  to  the  property  of  citizens, 
but  has  injured  us  but  little,  the  railroads  being  repaired 


<FROM  CHATTANOOGA  TO  ATLANTA.          53 

about  as  fast  as  he  broke  them.  From  Franklin  he  has 
been  pursued  towards  Florence,  and  out  of  the  State  by 
Generals  Rousseau,  Steedman,  and  Granger ;  but  what 
amount  of  execution  they  have  done  to  him  is  not  yet  re- 
ported. Our  roads  and  telegraph  are  all  repaired,  and  the 
cars  run  with  regularity  and  speed.  It  is  proper  to  remark 
in  this  place,  that  during  the  operations  of  this  campaign 
expeditions  were  sent  out  from  Memphis  and  Vicksburg 
to  check  any  movements  of  the  enemy's  forces  in  Missis- 
sippi upon  our  communications.  The  manner  in  which  this 
object  was  accomplished  reflects  credit  upon  Generals  A. 
J.  Smith,  Washburne,  Slocum,  and  Mower  ;  and  although 
General  Sturgis's  expedition  was  less  successful  than  the 
others,  it  assisted  us  in  the  main  object  to  be  accomplished. 

I  must  bear  full  and  liberal  testimony  to  the  energetic 
and  successful  management  of  our  railroads  during  the 
campaign.  Xo  matter  when  or  where  a  break  has  been 
made,  the  repair-train  seemed  on  the  spot,  and  the  damage 
was  repaired  generally  before  I  knew  of  the  break. 
Bridges  have  been  built  with  surprising  rapidity,  and  the 
locomotive  whistle  was  heard  in  our  advanced  camps 
almost  before  the  echoes  of  the  skirmish  fire  had  ceased. 
Some  of  these  bridges — those  of  the  Oostanaula,  the  Eto- 
wah,  and  Chattahoochie — are  fine,  substantial  structures, 
and  were  built  in  inconceivably  short  time,  almost  out  of 
material  improvised  on  the  spot. 

Colonel  W.  W.  Wright,  who  has  charge  of  the  "  con- 
struction and  repairs,"  is  not  only  a  most  skilful,  but  a 
wonderfully  ingenious,  industrious,  and  zealous  officer,  and 
I  can  hardly  do  him  justice.  In  like  manner  the  officers 
charged  with  running  the  trains  have  succeeded  to  my 
entire  satisfaction,  and  have  worked  in  perfect  harmony 
with  the  quartermasters  and  commissaries,  bringing  for- 


54  GENEEAL  SHERMAN'S  GREAT  MARCH 

ward  abundant  supplies  with  such  regularity  that  at  no  one 
time  have  we  wanted  for  provisions,  forage,  ammunition, 
or  stores  of  any  essential  kind. 

Colonel  L.  C.  Easton*  chief  quartermaster,  and  Colonel 
A.  Beckwitli,  chief  commissary,  have  also  succeeded,  in  a 
manner  surprising  to  all  of  us,  in  getting  forward  supplies. 
I  doubt  if  ever  an  army  was  better  supplied  than  this,  and 
I  commend  them  most  highly  for  it,  because  I  know  that 
more  solicitude  was  felt  by  the  lieutenant-general  com- 
manding, and  by  the  military  world  at  large,  on  this  than 
on  any  other  one  problem  involved  in  the  success  of  the 
campaign. 

Captain  T.  G.  Baylor,  chief  ordnance  officer,  has  in 
like  manner  kept  the  army  well  supplied  at  all  times  with 
every  kind  of  ammunition.  To  Captain  O.  M.  Poe,  chief 
engineer,  I  arn  more  than  ordinarily  indebted  for  keeping 
me  supplied  with  maps  and  information  of  roads,  and  to- 
pography, as  well  as  in  the  more  important  branch  of  his 
duties  in  selecting  lines  and  military  positions.  My  own 
personal  staff  has  been  small,  but  select. 

Brigadier-General  W.  F.  Barry,  an  officer  of  enlarged 
capacity  and  great  experience,  has  filled  the  office  of  chief 
of  artillery  to  perfection ;  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  E.  D. 
Kitto,  chief  medical  inspector,  has  done  every  thing  pos- 
sible to  give  proper  aid  and  direction  to  the  operations  of 
that  important  department.  I  have  never  seen  the  wound- 
ed removed  from  the  fields  of  battle,  cared  for,  and  after- 
wards sent  to  proper  hospitals  in  the  rear,  with  more 
promptness,  system,  care,  and  success,  than  during  this 
whole  campaign,  covering  over  one  hundred  days  of  actual 
battle  and  skirmish. 

My  aides-de-camp,  Major  J.  C.  McCoy,  Captain  L.  M. 
Dayton,  and  Captain  J.  C.  Audenried  have  been  ever 


FROM   CHATTANOOGA   TO    ATLANTA.  55 

.zealous  and  most  efficient,  carrying  my  orders  day  and 
night  to  distant  points  of  our  extended  lines,  with  an  in- 
telligence and  zeal  that  insured  the  perfect  working  of 
machinery,  covering  from  ten  to-  twenty-five  miles  of 
ground,  when  the  least  error  m  the  delivery  and  explana- 
tion of  an  order  would  have  produced  confusion;  whereas 
in  great  measure,  owing  to  the  intelligence  of  these  officers, 
orders  have  been  made  so  clear  that  these  vast  armies  have 
moved  side  by  side,  sometimes  crossing  each  other's  tracks 
through  a  difficult  country  of  over  a  hundred  and  thirty- 
eight  miles  in  length,  without  confusion  or  trouble. 

Captain  Dayton  has  also  fulfilled  the  duties  of  my  ad- 
jutant-general, making  all  orders  and  carrying  on  the 
official  correspondence. 

Three  inspectors-general  completed  my  staff:  Briga- 
dier-General J.  JV1.  Corse,  who  has  since  been  assigned  the 
command  of  a  division  of  the  Sixteenth  Corps,  at  the  re- 
quest of  General  Dodge  ;  Lieutenant-Colonel  W.  Warner, 
of  the  76th  Ohio,  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Charles  Ewir.g, 
inspector-general  of  the  Fifteenth  Corps  and  captain  13th 
United  States  Regulars. 

These  officers,  of  singular  energy  and  intelligence,  have 
been  of  immense  assistance  to  me  in  handling  these-  large 
armies. 

My  three  "armies  in  the  field"  were  commanded  by- 
able  officers,  my  equals  in  rank  and  experience  :  Major- 
General  George  H.  Thomas,  Major-General  J.  M.  Scho- 
field,  and  Major-General  O.  O.  Howard.  With  such  com- 
manders, I  had  only  to  indicate  the  object  desired,  and 
they  accomplished  it.  I  cannot  over-estimate  their  services 
to  the  country,  and  must  express  my  deep  and  heartfelt 
thanks  that,  coming  together  from  different  fields,  with 
different  interests,  they  have  co-operated  with  a  harmony 


56        GENERAL  SHEEMAN/S  GEEAT  MAECH 

that  has  been  productive  of  the  greatest  amount  of  suc- 
cess and  good  feeling.  A  more  harmonious  army  does 
not  exist. 

I  now  inclose  their  reports,  and  those  of  the  corps,  di- 
vision, and  brigade  commanders,  a  perusal  of  which  will 
fill  up  the  sketch  which  I  have  endeavored  to  make.  I 
also  submit  tabular  statements  of  our  losses  in  battle  by 
wounds  and  sickness ;  also,  lists  of  prisoners  captured,  sent 
to  the  rear,  and  exchanged ;  also,  of  the  guns  and  ma- 
terials of  war  captured,  besides  the  important  country, 
towns,  and  arsenals  of  the  enemy  that  we  now  "  occupy 
and  hold." 

All  of  which  is  respectfully  submitted, 

W.  T.  SHERMAN,  Major-General  Commanding. 

Major-General  H.  W.  HALLECK, 

Chief  of  Staff,  Washington,  D.  C. 


General  Sherman  issued  an  order,  September  4th,  to  the  effect  that 
the  city  of  Atlanta  being  exclusively  required  for  warlike  purposes, 
all  citizens  must  remove  from  it ;  and  to  expedite  such  removal,  he 
entered  into  a  truce  with  General  Hood,  and  made  arrangements 
with  him  for  forwarding  the  citizens  and  their  effects  beyond  the 
Federal  lines.  In  connection  with  this  event  the  following  corre- 
spondence took  place  between  the  authorities  of  Atlanta  and  General 
Sherman. 

ATLANTA,  Ga.,  Sept.  11,  1864. 

MAJOR-GENERAL  W.  T.  SHERMAN — Sir:  The  under- 
signed, Mayor  and  two  members  of  Council  for  the  city  of 
Atlanta,  for  the  time  being  the  only  legal  organ  of  the 
people  of  said  city  to  express  their  wants  and  wishes,  ask 
leave  most  earnestly,  but  respectfully,  to  petition  you  to  re- 
consider the  order  requiring  them  to  leave  Atlanta.  At 


FROM  CHATTANOOGA  To  ATLANTA.  57 

first  view  it  struck  us  that  the  measure  would  involve  ex- 
traordinary hardship  and  loss,  but  since  we  have  seen  the 
practical  execution  of  it,  so  far  as  it  has  progressed,  and 
the  individual  condition  of  many  of  the  people,  and  heard 
the  statements  as  to  the  inconveniences,  loss,  and  suffering 
attending  it,  we  are  satisfied  that  the  amount  of  it  will  in- 
volve in  the  aggregate  consequences  appalling  and  heart- 
rending. 

Many  poor  women  are  in  an  advanced  state  of  preg- 
nancy ;  others  having  young  children,  whose  husbands,  for 
the  greater  part,  are  either  in  the  army,  prisoners,  or  dead. 
Some  say :  "  I  have,  such  a  one  sick  at  my  house  ;  who 
will  wait  on  them  when  I  am  gone  ?"  Others  say  :  "  What 
are  we  to  do  ?  we  have  no  houses  to  go  to,  and  no  means 
to  buy,  build,  or  rent  any ;  no  parents,  relatives,  or  friends 
to  go  to."  Another  says  :  "  I  will  try  and  take  this  or 
that  article  of  property  ;  but  such  and  such  things  I  must 
leave  behind,  though  I  need  them  much."  We  reply  to. 
them :  "  General  Sherman  will  carry  your  property  to 
Rough-and-Ready,  and  then  General  Hood  will  take  it 
thence  on."  And  they  will  reply  to  that :  "  But  I  want  to 
leave  the  railroad  at  such  a  place,  and  cannot  get  convey- 
ance from  thence  on." 

We  only  refer  to  a  few  facts  to  illustrate,  in  part,  how 
this  measure  will  operate  in  practice.  As  you  advanced, 
the  people  north  of  us  fell  back,  and  before  your  arrival 
here  a  large  portion  of  the  people  had  retired  south ; 
so  that  the  country  south  of  this  is  already  crowded,  and 
without  sufficient  houses  to  accommodate  the  people,  and 
we  are  informed  that  many  are  now  staying  in  churches 
and  other  outbuildings.  This  being  so,  how  is  it  possi- 
ble for  the  people  still  here  (mostly  women  and  children) 
to  find  shelter,  and  how  can  they  live  through  the  winter 

3* 


58  GENERAL   SHERMAN^    GREAT   MARCH 

in  the  woods — no  shelter  or  subsistence — in  the  midst  of 
strangers  who  know  them  not,  and  without  the  power  to 
assist  them  much  if  they  were  willing  to  do  so? 

This  is  but  a  feeble  picture  of  the  consequences  of  this 
measure.  You  know  the  woe,  the  horror,  and  the  suf- 
fering cannot  be  described  by  words.  Imagination  can 
only  conceive  of  it,  and  we  ask  you  to  take  these  things 
into  consideration.  We  know  your  mind  and  time  are 
continually  occupied  with  the  duties  of  your  command, 
which  almost  deters  us  from  asking  your  attention  to 
the  matter,  but  thought  it  might  be  that  you  had  not 
considered  the  subject  in  all  of  its  awful  consequences, 
and  that,  on  reflection,  you,  we  hope,  would  not  make 
this  people  an  exception  to  all  mankind,  for  we  know  of 
no  such  instance  ever  having  occurred — surely  not  in 
the  United  States.  And  what  has  this  helpless  people 
done  that  they  should  be  driven  from  their  homes,  to 
wander  as  strangers,  outcasts,  and  exiles,  and  to  subsist  on 
charity  ? 

We  do  not  know  as  yet  the  number  of  people  still  here. 
Of  those  who  are  here,  a  respectable  number,  if  allowed 
to  remain  at  home,  could  subsist  for  several  months 
without  assistance  ;  and  a  respectable  number  for  a  much 
longer  time,  and  who  might  not  need  assistance  at  any 
time. 

In  conclusion,  we  most  earnestly  and  solemnly  petition 
you  to  reconsider  this  order,  or  modify  it,  and  suffer  this 
unfortunate  people  to  remain  at  home  and  enjoy  what 
little  means  they  have. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

JAMES  M.  CALHOUN,  Mayor. 

E.  E.  RAWSON,  S.  C.  WELLS,  Councilmen. 


FROM  CHATTANOOGA  TO  ATLANTA.          59 

*  HEADQUARTERS  MILITAKY  DIVISION  OF  THK  MISSISSIPPI, 

In  the  Field,  Atlanta,  Ga.,  Sept.  12,  1384. 

JAMES  M.  CALHOUN,  Mayor,  E.  E.  RAWSON  and  S.  C.  WELLS,  repre- 
senting City  Council  of  Atlanta. 

GENTLEMEN — I  have  your  letter  of  the  llth,  in  the 
nature  of  a  petition  to  revoke  ray  orders  removing  all  the 
inhabitants  from  Atlanta.  I  have  read  it  carefully,  and 
give  full  credit  to  your  statements  of  the  distress  that  will 
be  occasioned  by  it,  and  yet  shall  not  revoke  my  order, 
simply  because  my  orders  are  not  designed  to  meet  the 
humanities  of  the  case,  but  to  prepare  for  the  future  strug- 
gles in  which  millions,  yea  hundreds  of  millions  of  good 
people  outside  of  Atlanta  have  a  deep  interest.  We  must 
have  Peace,  not  only  at  Atlanta,  but  in  all  America.  To 
secure  this,  we  must  stop  the  war  that  now  desolates 
our  once  happy  and  favored  country.  To  stop  war,  we 
must  defeat  the  rebel  armies  that  are  arrayed  against  the 
Jaws  and  Constitution  which  all  must  respect  and  obey. 
To  defeat  these  armies,  we  must  prepare  the  way  to  reach 
them  in  their  recesses,  provided  with  the  arms  and  instru- 
ments which  enable  us  to  accomplish  our  purpose. 

Now  I  know  the  vindictive  nature  of  our  enemy,  and 
that  we  may  have  many  years  of  military  operations  from 
this  quarter,  and  therefore  deem  it  wise  and  prudent  to 
prepare  in  time.  The  use  of  Atlanta  for  warlike  purposes 
is  inconsistent  with  its  character  as  a  home  for  families. 
There  will  be  no  manufactures,  commerce,  or  agriculture 
here  for  the  maintenance  of  families,  and  sooner  or  later 
want  will  compel  the  inhabitants  to  go.  Why  not  go  now, 
when  all  the  arrangements  are  completed  for  the  transfer, 
instead  of  waiting  till  the  plunging  shot  of  contending 
armies  will  renew  the  scene  of  the  past  month  ?  Of  course 
I  do  not  apprehend  any  such  thing  at  this  moment,  but  you 


60        GENERAL  SHERMAN^S  GREAT  MARCH 

do  not  suppose  that  this  array  will  be  here  till  the  war  is 
over.  I  cannot  discuss  this  subject  with  you  fairly,  because 
I  cannot  impart  to  you  what  I  propose  to  do,  but  I  assert 
that  my  military  plans  make  it  necessary  for  the  inhabit- 
ants to  go  away,  and  I  can  only  renew  my  offer  of  servi- 
ces to  make  their  exodus  in  any  direction  as  easy  and  com- 
fortable as  possible.  You  cannot  qualify  war  in  harsher 
terms  than  I  will. 

War  is  cruelty,  and  you  cannot  refine  it;  and  those  who 
brought  Avar  on  the  country  deserve  all  the  curses  and 
maledictions  a  people  can  pour  out.  I  know  I  had  no  hand 
in  making  this  Avar,  and  I  kno\v  I  will  make  more  sacri- 
fices to-day  than  any  of  you  to  secure  peace.  But  you 
cannot  have  peace  and  a  division  of  our  country.  If  the 
United  States  submits  to  a  division  now,  it  Avill  not  stop, 
but  Avill  go  on  till  we  reap  the  fate  of  Mexico,  Avhich  is 
eternal  war.  The  United  States  does  and  must  assert  its 
authority  wherever  it  has  power ;  if  it  relaxes  one  bit  to 
pressure  it  is  gone,  and  I  knoAV  that  such  is  not  the  na- 
tional feeling.  This  feeling  assumes  various  shapes,  but 
always  comes  back  to  that  of  Union.  Once  admit  the 
Union,  once  more  acknowledge  the  authority  of  the  na- 
tional Government,  and  instead  of  devoting  your  houses, 
and  streets,  and  roads  to  the  dread  uses  of  war,"  I,  and  this 
army,  become  at  once  your  protectors  and  supporters, 
shielding  you  from  danger,  let  it  come  from  what  quarter 
it  may.  I  know  that  a  few  individuals  cannot  resist  a  tor- 
rent of  error  and  passion  such  as  has  swept  the  South  into 
rebellion  ;  but  you  can  point  out,  so  that  we  may  know 
those  Avho  desire  a  Government  and  those  who  insist  on 
war  and  its  desolation. 

You  might  as  Avell  appeal  against  the  thunder-storm  as 
against  these  terrible  hardships  of  war.  They  are  inevita- 


FROM   CHATTANOOGA    TO    ATLANTA.  61 

ble,  and  the  only  way  the  people  of  Atlanta  can  hope  once 
more  to  live  in  peace  and  qniet  at  home  is  to  stop  this 
war,  which  can  alone  be  done  by  admitting  that  it  began 
in  error  and  is  perpetuated  in  pride.  We  don't  want  your 
negroes  or  your  horses,  or  your  houses  or  your  land,  or 
any  thing  you  have;  but  we  do  want  and  will  have  a  just 
obedience  to  the  laws  of  the  United  States.  That  we  will 
have,  and  if  it  involves  the  destruction  of  your  improve- 
ments, we  cannot  help  it.  You  have  heretofore  read  pub- 
lic sentiment  in  your  newspapers,  that  live  by  falsehood 
and  excitement,  and  the  quicker  you  seek  for  truth  in  other 
quarters  the  better  for  you. 

I  repeat,  then,  that,  by  the  original  compact  of  the  Gov- 
ernment, the  United  States  had  certain  rights  in  Georgia 
which  have  never  been  relinquished,  and  never  will  be  ; 
that  the  South  began  war  by  seizing  forts,  arsenals,  mints, 
custom-houses,  etc.,  etc.,  long  before  Mr.  Lincoln  was  in- 
stalled, and  before  the  South  had  one  jot  or  tittle  of  prov- 
ocation. I  myself  have  seen  in  Missouri,  Kentucky,  Ten- 
nessee, and  Mississippi,  hundreds  and  thousands  of  women 
and  children  fleeing  from  your  armies  and  desperadoes, 
hungry  and  with  bleeding  feet.  In  Memphis,  Vicksburg, 
and  Mississippi  we  fed  thousands  upon  thousands  of  the 
families  of  rebel  soldiers  left  on  our  hands,  and  whom  we 
could  not  see  starve.  Now  that  war  comes  home  to  you, 
you  feel  very  different — you  deprecate  its  horrors,  but  did 
not  feel  them  when  you  sent  car-loads  of  soldiers,  and  am- 
munition, and  moulded  shell  and  shot  to  carry  war  into 
Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  and  desolate  the  homes  of  hun- 
dreds and  thousands  of  good  people,  who  only  asked  to 
live  in  peace  at  their  old  homes,  and  under  the  Govern- 
ment of  their  inheritance.  But  these  comparisons  are  idle. 
I  want  peace,  and  believe  it  can  only  be  reached  through 


62         GENERAL  SHERMAN^  GREAT  MARCH 

Union  and  war,  and  I  will  ever  conduct  war  purely  with  a 
view  to  perfect  and  early  success. 

But,  my  dear  sirs,  when  that  peace  does  come,  you  may 
call  on  me  for  any  thing.  Then  will  I  share  with  you  the 
last  cracker,  and  watch  with  you  to  shield  your  homes  and 
families  against  dangers  from  every  quarter.  Now  you 
must  go,  and  take  with  you  the  old  and  feeble ;  feed  and 
nurse  them,  and  build  for  them  in  more  quiet  places  proper 
habitations  to  shield  them  against  the  weather,  until  the 
mad  passions  of  men  cool  down,  and  allow  the  Union  and 
peace  once  more  to  settle  on  your  old  homes  at  Atlanta. 
Yours,  in  haste, 

W.  T.  SHERMAN,  Major-General. 


ATLANTA,  Ga.,  Sept.  20,  1864. 

ON  leaving  Atlanta,  I  should  return  my  thanks  to  Gen- 
eral Sherman,  General  Slocum,  General  Ward,  Colonel 
Colburn,  Major  Peck,  Captain  Mott,  Captain  Stewart, 
Captain  Flagg,  and  all  the  other  officers  with  whom  I  have 
had  business  transactions  in  carrying  out  the  order  of  Gen- 
eral Sherman  for  the  removal  of  the  citizens,  and  in  trans- 
acting my  private  business ;  for  their  kindness  and  their 
patience  in  answering  the  many  inquiries  I  had  to  make 
on  the  duration  of  the  delicate  and  arduous  duties  devolv- 
ing on  me  as  Mayor  of  this  city. 

Resp  ectfully, 

JAS.  M.  CALHOUN. 


FROM   ATLANTA   TO    SAVANNAH.  63 

II. 

FROM  ATLANTA  TO  SAVANNAH, 

THROUGH  THE  HEART  OF  GEORGIA. 


HEADQUARTERS  MILITARY  DIVISION  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI, 
In  the  Field,  Savannah,  Ga.,  January  1,  1865. 

Major-General  H.  W.  HALLECK,  Chief  of  Staff,  Washington  City,  D.  C. 

GENERAL — I  have  the  honor  to  offer  my  report  of  the 
operations  of  the  armies  under  my  command  since  the  oc- 
cupation of  Atlanta,  in  the  early  part  of  September  last,  up 
to  the  present  date. 

As  heretofore  reported,  in  the  month  of  September,  the 
Army  of  the  Cumberland,  Major-General  Thomas  com- 
manaing,  held  the  city  of  Atlanta ;  the  Army  of  the  Ten- 
nessee, Major-General  Howard  commanding,  was  grouped 
about  East  Point ;  and  the  Army  of  the  Ohio,  Major-Gen- 
eral Schofield  commanding,  held  Decatur.  Many  changes 
occurred  in  the  composition  of  those  armies,  in  consequence 
of  the  expiration  of  the  time  of  service  of  many  of  the 
regiments.  The  opportunity  was  given  to  us  to  consoli- 
date the  fragments,  re-clothe  and  equip  the  men,  and  make 
preparations  for  the  future  campaign.  I  also  availed  my- 
self of  the  occasion  to  strengthen  the  garrisons  to  our  rear, 
to  make  our  communications  more  secure,  and  sent  Wag- 
ner's division  of  the  Fourth  Corps  and  Morgan's  division 
of  the  Fourteenth  Corps  back  to  Chattanooga,  and  Corse's 
division  of  the  Fifteenth  Corps,  to  Rome.  Also  a  thorough 
reconnoissance  was  made  of  Atlanta,  and  a  new  line  of 
works  begun,  which  required  a  small  garrison  to  hold. 


64:  GENERAL    SHERMAN'S    GREAT   MARCH 

During  this  month  the  enemy,  whom  we  had  left  at 
Lovejoy's  Station,  moved  westward  towards  the  Chatta- 
hoochie,  taking  position  facing  us,  and  covering  the  West 
Point  Railroad,  about  Palmetto  Station.  He  also  threw  a 
pontoon  bridge  across  the  Chattahoochie,  and  sent  cavalry 
detachments  to  the  west,  in  the  direction  of  Carrolton  and 
Powder  Springs.  About  the  same  time  President  Davis 
visited  Macon,  and  his  army  at  Palmetto,  and  made  har- 
angues referring  to  an  active  campaign  against  us.  Hood 
still  remained  in  command  of  the  Confederate  forces,  with 
Cheatham,  S.  D.  Lee.  and  Stewart,  commanding  his  three 
corps,  and  Wheeler  in  command  of  his  cavalry,  which  had 
been  largely  re-enforced. 

My  cavalry  consisted  of  two  divisions.  One  was  sta- 
tioned at  Decatur,  under  command  of  Brigadier-General 
Garrard;  the  other,  commanded  by  Brigadier-General 
Kilpatrick,  was  posted  near  Sandtown,  with  a  pontoon 
bridge  over  the  Chattahoochie,  from  tvhich  he  could  watch 
any  movement  of  the  enemy  towards  the  west. 

As  soon  as  I  became  convinced  that  the  enemy  intended 
to  assume  the  offensive,  namely,  September  28,  I  sent 
JVlajor-General  Thomas,  second  in  command,  to  Nashville, 
to  organize  the  new  troops  expected  to  arrive,  and  to  make 
preliminary  preparations  to  meet  such  an  event. 

About  the  1st  of  October  some  of  the  enemy's  cavalry 
made  their  appearance  on  the  west  of  the  Chattahoochie, 
and  one  of  his  infantry  corps  was  treported  near  Powder 
Springs,  and  I  receired  authentic  intelligence  that  the  rest 
of  his  infantry  was  crossing  to  the  west  of  the  Chatta- 
hoochie. I  at  once  made  my  orders  that  Atlanta  and  the 
Chattahoochie  railroad-bridge  should  be  held  by  the 
Twentieth  Corps,  Major-General  Slocum  ;  and  on  the  4th 
of  October  put  in  motion  the  Fifteenth  and  Seventeenth 


FROM    ATLANTA   TO    SAVANNAH.  65 

Corps,  and  the  Fourth,  Fourteenth,  and  Twenty-third 
Corps,  to  Smyrna  camp-ground,  and  on  the  5th  moved  to 
the  strong  position  about  Kenesaw.  The  enemy's  cavalry 
had,  by  a  rapid  movement,  got  upon  our  railroad  at  Big 
Shanty,  and  broken  the  line  of  telegraph  and  railroad,  and, 
with  a  division  of  infantry  (French's),  had  moved  against 
Allatoona,  where  were  stored  about  a  million  of  rations. 
Its  redoubts  were  garrisoned  by  three  small  regiments 
under  Colonel  Tourtellotte,  4th  Minnesota. 

I  had  anticipated  this  movement,  and  had,  by  signal  and 
telegraph,  ordered  General  Corse  to  re-enforce  'that  post 
from  Rome.  General  Corse  had  reached  Allatoona  with  a 
brigade  during  the  night  of  the  4th,  just  in  time  to  meet 
the  attack  by  French's  division  on  the  morning  of  the  5th. 
In  person  I  reached  Kenesaw  Mountain  about  10  A.  M.  of 
the  5th,  and  could  see  the  smoke  of  battle  and  hear  the 
faint  sounds  of  artillery.  The  distance,  eighteen  miles, 
was  too  great  for  me  to  make  in  time  to  share  in  the  battle, 
but  I  directed  the  Twenty-third  Corps,  Brigadier-General 
Cox  commanding,  to  move  rapidly  from  the  base  of  Kene- 
saw due  west,  aiming  to  reach  the  road  from  Allatoona  to 
Dallas,  threatening  the  rear  of  the  forces  attacking  Alla- 
toona. I  succeeded  in  getting  a  signal  message  to  General 
Corse  during  his  fight,  notifying  him  of  my  presence.  The 
defence  of  Allatoona  by  General  Corse  was  admirably  con- 
ducted, and  the  enemy  repulsed  with  heavy  slaughter. 
His  description  of  the  defence  is  so  graphic  that  it  leaves 
nothing  for  me  to  add  ;  and  the  movement  of  General  Cox 
had  the  desired  effect  of  causing  the  withdrawal  of  French's 
division  rapidly  in  the  direction  of  Dallas. 

On  the  6th  and  7th  I  pushed  my  cavalry  well  towards 
Burnt  Hickory  and  Dallas,  and  discovered  that  the  enemy 
had  moved  westward,  and  inferred  that  he  would  attempt 


66  GENERAL    SHKRMAN's    GREAT    MARCH 

to  break  our  railroad  again  in  the  neighborhood  of  Kings- 
ton. Accordingly,  on  the  morning  of  the  8th,  I  put  the 
army  in  motion  through  Allatoona  Pass  to  Kingston,  reach- 
ing that  point  on  the  10th.  There  I  learned  that  the  enemy 
had  feigned  on  Rome,  and  was  passing  the  Coosa  River  on 
a  pontoon  bridge  about  eleven  miles  below  Rome.  I 
therefore,. on  the  llth,  moved  to  Rome,  and  pushed  Gar- 
rard's  cavalry  and  the  Twenty-third  Corps,  under  General 
Cox,  across  the  Oostenaula,  to  threaten  the  flanks  of  the 
enemy  passing  north.  Garrard's  cavalry  drove  a  cavalry 
brigade  of  the  enemy  to  and  beyond  the  Narrows,  leading 
into  the  valley  of  the  Chattooga,  capturing  two  field- 
pieces.  The  enemy  had  moved  with  great  rapidity,  and 
made  his  appearance  at  Resaca,  and  Hood  had  in  person 
demanded  its  surrender. 

I  had  from  Kingston  re-enforced  Resaca  by  two  regiments 
of  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee.  I  at  first  intended  to  move 
the  army  into  the  Chattooga  Valley,  to  interpose  between 
the  enemy  and  his  line  of  retreat  down  the  Coosa,  but 
feared  that  General  Hood  would  in  that  event  turn  east- 
ward by  Spring  Place,  and  down  the  Federal  road,  and 
therefore  moved  against  him  at  Resaca.  Colonel  Weaver 
at  Resaca,  afterwards  re-enforced  by  General  Raum's  bri- 
gade, had  repulsed  the  enemy  from  Resaca ;  but  he  had 
succeeded  in  breaking  the  railroad  from  Filton  to  Dalton, 
and  as  far  north  as  the  tunnel.  Arriving  at  Resaca  on  the 
evening  of  the  14th,  I  determined  to  strike  Hood  in  flank, 
or  force  him  to  battle,  and  directed  the  Army  of  the  Ten- 
nessee, General  Howard,  to  move  to  Snake  Creek  Gap, 
which  was  held  by  the  enemy,  while  General  Stanley,  with 
the  Fourth  and  Fourteenth  Corps,  moved  by  Tilton  across 
the  mountains  to  the  rear  of  Snake  Creek  Gap,  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Villanow. 


FROM    ATLANTA    TO   SAVANNAH.  67 

The  Army  of  the  Tennessee  found  the  enemy  occupying 
our  old  lines  in  Snake  Creek  Gap,  and  on  the  15th  skir- 
mished for  the  purpose  of  holding  him  there  until  Stanley 
could  get  to  his  rear.  But  the  enemy  gave  way  about 
noon,  and  was  followed  through  the  Gtap,  escaping  before 
General  Stanley  had  reached  the  further  end  of  the  pass. 
The  next  day  (the  16th)  the  armies  moved  directly  towards 
Lafayette,  with  a  view  to  cut  off  Hood's  retreat.  We 
found  him  intrenched  in  Ship's  Gap,  but  the  leading  divi- 
sion (Wood's)  of  the  Fifteenth  Corps  rapidly  carried  the 
advanced  posts  held  by  two  companies  of  a  South  Caro- 
lina regiment,  making  them  prisoners.  The  remaining 
eight  companies  escaped  to  the  main  body  near  Lafayette. 
The  next  morning  we  passed  over  into  the  valley  of  the 
Chattooga,  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee  moving  in  pursuit 
by  Lafayette  and  Alpine  towards  Blue  Pond  ;  the  Army 
of  the  Cumberland  by  Summerville  and  Melville  post- 
office  to  Gaylesville  ;  and  the  Army  of  the  Ohio  and  Gar- 
rard's  cavalry  from  Villanow,  Dirttown,  and  Gover's  Gap 
to  Gaylesville.  Hood,  however,  was  little  encumbered 
with  trains,  and  marched  with  great  rapidity,  and  had  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  into  the  narrow  gorge  formed  by  the 
Lookout  range  abutting  against  the  Coosa  River  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Gadsden.  He  evidently  wanted  to  avoid 
a  fight. 

On  the  19th  all  the  armies  were  grouped  about  Gayles- 
ville, in  the  rich  valley  of  the  Chattooga,  abounding  in  corn 
and  meat,  and  I  determined  to  pause  in  my  pursuit  of  the 
enemy,  to  watch  his  movements  and  live  on  the  country. 
I  hoped  that  Hood  would  turn  towards  Guntersville  and 
Bridgeport.  The  Army  of  the  Tennessee  was  posted  near 
Little  River,  with  instructions  to  feel  forward  in  support 
of  the  cavalry,  which  was  ordered  to  watch  Hood  in  the 


68         GENERAL  SHERMAN'S  GREAT  MARCH 

neighborhood  of  Will's  Valley,  and  to  give  me  the  earliest 
notice  possible  of  his  turning  northward.  The  Army  of 
the  Ohio  was  posted  at  Cedar  Bluff,  with  orders  to  lay  a 
pontoon  across  the  Coosa,  and  to  feel  forward  to  Centre 
and  down  in  the  direction  of  Blue  Mountain.  The  Army 
of  the  Cumberland  was  held  in  reserve  at  Gaylesville  ;  and 
all  the  troops  were  instructed  to  draw  heavily  for  supplies 
from  the  surrounding  country.  In  the  mean  time  commu- 
nications were  opened  to  Rome,  and  a  heavy  force  set  to 
work  in  repairing  the  damages  done  to  our  railroads.  At- 
lanta was  abundantly  supplied  with  provisions,  but  forage 
was  scarce,  and  General  Slocum  was  instructed  to  send 
strong  foraging-parties  out  in  the  direction  of  South  River, 
and  collect  all  the  corn  and  fodder  possible,  and  to  put  his 
own  trains  in  good  condition  for  further  service. 

Hood's  movements  and  strategy  had  demonstrated  that 
he  had  an  army  capable  of  endangering  at  all  times  my 
communications,  but  unable  to  meet  me  in  open  fight.  To 
follow  him  would  simply  amount  to  being  decoyed  away 
from  Georgia,  with  little  prospect  of  overtaking  and  over- 
whelming him.  To  remain  on  the  defensive  would  have 
been  bad  policy  for  an  army  of  so  great  value  as  the  one 
I  then  commanded,  and  I  was  forced  to  adopt  a  course 
more  fruitful  in  results  than  the  naked  one  of  following 
him  to  the  Southwest.  I  had  previously  submitted  to  the 
commander-in-chief  a  general  plan,  which  amounted  sub- 
stantially to  the  destruction  of  Atlanta  and  the  railroad 
back  to  Chattanooga,  and  sallying  forth  from  Atlanta, 
through  the  heart  of  Georgia,  to  capture  one  or  more  of 
the  great  Atlantic  seaports.  This  I  renewed  from  Gayles- 
ville, modified  somewhat  by  the  change  of  events. 

On  the  26th  of  October,  satisfied  that  Hood  had  moved 
westward  from  Gadsden  across  Sand  Mountain,  I  detached 


FBOM    ATLANTA   TO    SAVANNAH.  69 

the  Fourth  Corps,  Major-General  Stanley,  and  ordered 
him  to  proceed  to  Chattanooga,  and  report  to  Major-Gen- 
eral Thomas  at  Nashville.  Subsequently,  on  the  30th  of 
October,  I  also  detached  the  Twenty-third  Corps,  Major- 
General  Schofield,  with  the  same  destination ;  and  delega- 
ted to  Major-General  Thomas  full  power  over  all  the  troops 
subject  to  my  command,  except  the  four  corps  with  which 
I  designed  to  move  into  Georgia.  This  gave  him  the  two 
divisions  under  A.  J.  Smith,  then  in  Missouri,  but  en  route 
for  Tennessee ;  the  two  corps  named,  and  all  the  garrisons 
in  Tennessee,  as  also  all  the  cavalry  of  my  military  divi- 
sion, except  one  division  under  Brigadier-General  Kil- 
patrick,  which  was  ordered  to  rendezvous  at  Marietta. 
Brevet  Major-General  Wilson  had  arrived  from  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac,  to  assume  command  of  the  cavalry  of  my 
army,  and  I  dispatched  him  back  to  Nashville  with  all  dis- 
mounted detachments,  and  orders  as  rapidly  as  possible  to 
collect  the  cavalry  serving  in  Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  to 
mount,  organize,  and  equip  them,  and  report  to  Major- 
General  Thomas  for  duty.  These  forces  I  judged  would 
enable  General  Thomas  to  defend  the  railroad  from  Chat- 
tanooga back,  including  Nashville  and  Decatur,  and  give 
him  an  army  with  which  he  could  successfully  cope  with 
Hood,  should  the  latter  cross  the  Tennessee  northward. 

By  the  1st  of  November,  Hood's  army  had  moved  from 
Gadsden,  and  made  its  appearance  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Decatur,  where  a  feint  was  made  ;  he  then  passed  on  to 
Tuscumbia  and  laid  a  pontoon  bridge  opposite  Flo- 
rence. I  then  began  my  preparations  for  the  march 
through  Georgia,  having  received  the  sanction  of  the 
commander-in-chief  for  carrying  into  effect  my  plan,  the 
details  of  which  were  explained  to  all  my  corps  command- 
ers and  heads  of  staff  departments,  with  strict  injunctions 


70  GENERAL  SHERMAN'S  GREAT  MARCH 

of  secrecy.  I  had  also  communicated  full  details  to  Gen- 
eral Thomas,  and  had  informed  him  I  would  not  leave  the 
neighborhood  of  Kingston  until  he  felt  perfectly  confident 
that  he  was  entirely  prepared  to  cope  with  Hood,  should 
he  carry  into  eifect  his  threatened  invasion  of  Tennessee 
and  Kentucky.  I  estimated  Hood's  force  at  35,000  in- 
fantry and  10,000  cavalry. 

I  moved  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee  by  slow  and  easy 
marches  on  the  south  of  the  Coosa,  back  to  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Smyrna  camp-ground,  and  the  Fourteenth  Corps, 
General  Jeff.  C.  Davis,  to  Kingston,  whither  I  repaired  in 
person  on  the  2d  of  November.  From  that  point  I  di- 
rected all  surplus  artillery,  all  baggage  not  needed  for  my 
contemplated  march,  all  the  sick  and  wounded,  refugees, 
etc.,  to  be  sent  back  to  Chattanooga ;  and  the  four  corps 
above  mentioned,  with  Kilpatrick's  cavalry,  were  put  in 
the  most  efficient  condition  possible  for  a  long  and  difficult 
march.  This  operation  consumed  the  time  until  the  llth 
of  November,  when,  every  thing  being  ready,  I  ordered 
General  Corse,  who  still  remained  at  Rome,  to  destroy  the 
bridges  there,  all  foundries,  mills,  shops,  warehouses,  or 
other  property  that  could  be  useful  to  an  enemy,  and  to 
move  to  Kingston.  At  the  same  time  the  railroad  in  and 
.about  Atlanta,  and  between  the  Etowah  and  the  Chatta- 
hoochie,  was  ordered  to  be  utterly  destroyed. 

The  garrisons  from  Kingston  northward  were  also  order- 
ed to  draw  back  to  Chattanooga,  taking  with  them  all 
public  property  and  all  railroad  stock,  and  to  take  up 
the  rails  from  Resaca  back,  saving  them,  ready  to  be  re- 
placed whenever  future  interests  should  demand.  The 
railroad  between  the  Etowah  and  the  Oostenaula  was  left 
untouched,  because  I  thought  it  more  than  probable  we 
would  find  it  necessary  to  reoccupy  the  country  as  far  for- 


FROM   ATLANTA   TO   SAVANNAH.  71 

ward  as  the  line  of  the  Etowah.  Atlanta  itself  is  only  of 
strategic  value  as  long  as  it  is  a  railroad  centre ;  and  as 
all  the  railroads  leading  to  it  are  destroyed,  as  well  as  all 
its  foundries,  machine-shops,  warehouses,  depots,  etc.,  it  is 
of  no  more  value  than  any  other  point  in  North  Georgia; 
whereas  the  line  of  the  Etowah,  by  reason  of  its  rivers  and 
natural  features,  possesses  an  importance  which  will  always 
continue.  From  it  all  parts  of  Georgia  and  Alabama  can 
be  reached  by  armies  marching  with  trains  down  the  Coosa 
or  the  Chattahoochie  valleys. 

On  the  12th  of  November  my  army  stood  detached  and 
cut  off  from  all  communication  with  the  rear.  It  was 
composed  of  four  corps,  the  Fifteenth  and  Seventeenth, 
constituting  the  right  wing,  under  Major  General  O.  O. 
Howard  ;  the  Fourteenth  and  Twentieth  corps,  constitut- 
ing the  left  wing,  under  Major-General  H.  W.  Slocum  ; — of 
an  aggregate  strength  of  60,000  infantry  :  one  cavalry  di- 
vision, in  aggregate  strength  5,500,  under  Brigadier-Gen- 
eral Judson  Kilpatrick,  and  the  artillery  reduced  to  the 
minimum  of  one  gun  per  thousand  men. 

The  whole  force  moved  rapidly  and  grouped  about  At- 
lanta on  the  14th  November.  In  the  mean  time  Captain 
O.  M.  Poe  had  thoroughly  destroyed  Atlanta,  save  its 
mere  dwelling-houses  and  churches,  and  the  right  wing, 
with  General  Kilpatrick's  cavalry,  was  put  in  motion  in  the 
direction  of  Jonesboro'  and  McDonough,  with  orders  to 
make  a  strong  feint  on  Macon,  to  cross  the  Ocmulgee 
about  Planters'  Mills,  and  rendezvous  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Gordon  in  seven  days,  exclusive  of  the  day  of  march. 
On  the  same  day  General  Slocum  moved  with  the  Twenti- 
eth Corps  by  Decatur  and  Stone  Mountain,  with  orders  to 
.  tear  up  the  railroad  from  Social  Circle  to  Madison,  to  burn 
the  large  and  important  railroad-bridge  across  the  Oconee, 


72         GENEKAL  SHERMAN^  GREAT  MARCH 

east  of  Madison,  and  turn  south  and  reach  Milledgeville 
on  the  seventh  day,  exclusive  of  the  day  of  march. 

In  person  I  left  Atlanta  on  the  16th,  in  company  -\vith 
the  Fourteenth  Corps,  brevet  Major-General  Jeff.  C.Davis, 
by  Lithonia,  Covington,  and  Shady  Dale,  directly  on  Mil- 
ledgeville. All  the  troops  were  provided  with  good  wagon- 
trains,  loaded  with  ammunition,  and  supplies  approximat- 
ing twenty  days'  bread,  forty  days'  sugar  and  coffee,  a 
double  allowance  of  salt  for  forty  days,  and  beef-cattle 
equal  to  forty  days'  supplies.  The  wagons  were  also  sup- 
plied with  about  three  days'  forage  in  grain.  All  were 
instructed,  by  a  judicious  system  of  foraging,  to  maintain 
this  order  of  things  as  long  as  possible,  living  chiefly,  if 
not  solely,  upon  the  country,  which  I  knew  to  abound  in 
corn,  sweet  potatoes,  and  meats. 

My  first  object  was,  of  course,  to  place  my  army  in  the 
very  heart  of  Georgia,  interposing  between  Macon  and 
Augusta,  and  obliging  the  enemy  to  divide  his  forces  to 
defend  not  only  those  points,  but  Millen,  Savannah,  and 
Charleston.  All  my  calculations  were  fully  realized. 
During  the  22d  General  Kilpatrick  made  a  good  feint  on 
Macon,  driving  the  enemy  within  his  intrenchments,  and 
then  drew  back  to  GriswoldsviTle,  where  Walcott's  brigade 
of  infantry  joined  him  to  cover  that  flank,  while  Howard's 
trains  were  closing  up,  and  his  men  scattered,  breaking  up 
railroads.  The  enemy  came  out  of  Macon  and  attacked 
Walcott  in  position,  but  was  so  roughly  handled  that  he 
never  repeated  the  experiment.  On  the  eighth  day  after 
leaving  Atlanta,  namely,  on  the  23d,  General  Slocum  oc- 
cupied Milledgeville  and  the  important  bridge  across  the 
Oconee  there  ;  and  Generals  Howard  and  Kilpatrick  were 
in  and  about  Gordon. 

General  Howard  was  then  ordered  to  move  eastward, 


FBOM   ATLANTA   TO   SAVANNAH.  73 

destroying  the  railroad  thoroughly  in  his  progress  as  far 
as  Tennille  Station,  opposite  Sandersville,  and  General 
Slocum  to  move  to  Sandersville  by  two  roads.  General 
Kilpatrick  was  ordered  to  Milledgeville,  and  thence  move 
rapidly  eastward,  to  break  the  railroad  which  leads  from 
Millen  to  Augusta,  then  to  turn  upon  Millen  and  rescue 
our  prisoners  of  war  supposed  to  be  confined  at  that  place. 
I  accompanied  the  Twentieth  Corps  from  Milledgeville  to 
Sandersville,  approaching  which  place,  on  the  25th,  we 
found  the  bridges  across  Buffalo  Creek  burned,  which  de- 
layed us  three  hours.  The  next  day  we  entered  Sanders- 
ville, skirmishing  with  Wheeler's  cavalry,  which  offered 
little  opposition  to  the  advance  of  the  Twentieth  and 
Fourteenth  Corps,  entering  the  place  almost  at  the  same 
moment. 

General  Slocum  was  then  ordered  to  tear  up  and  destroy 
the  Georgia  Central  Railroad,  from  Station  No.  13  (Ten- 
nille) to  Station  No.  10,  near  the  crossing  of  Ogeechee ; 
one  of  his  corps  substantially  following  the  railroad,  the 
other  by  way  of  Louisville,  in  support  of  Kilpatrick's 
cavalry.  In  person  I  shifted  to  the  right  wing,  and  accom- 
panied the  Seventeenth  Corps,  General  Blair,  on  the  south 
of  the  railroad,  till  abreast  of  Station  No.  9|  (Barton) ; 
General  Howard,  in  person,  with  the  Fifteenth  Corps, 
keeping  further  to  the  right,  and  about  one  day's '  march 
ahead,  ready  to  turn  against  the  flank  of  any  enemy  who 
should  oppose  our  progress. 

At  Barton  I  learned  that  Kilpatrick's  cavalry  had  reached 
the  Augusta  Railroad  about  Waynesborough,  where  he 
ascertained  that  our  prisoners  had  been  removed  from 
Millen,  and  therefore  the  purpose  of  rescuing  them,  upon 
which  we  had  set  our  hearts,  was  an  impossibility.  But  as 
Wheeler's  cavalry  had  hung  around  him,  and  as  he  had 

4 


Y4r  GENERAL   SIIEEMAlj's    GREAT   MARCH 

retired  to  Louisville  to  meet  our  infantry,  in  pursuance  of 
my  instructions  not  to  risk  a  battle  unless  at  great  advan- 
tage, I  ordered  him  to  leave  his  wagons  and  all  encum- 
brances with  the  left  wing,  and  moving  in  the  direction  of 
Augusta,  if  Wheeler  gave  him  the  opportunity,  to  indulge 
him  with  all  the  fighting  he  wanted.  General  Kilpatrick, 
supported  by  Baird's  division  of  infantry  of  the  Fourteenth 
Corps,  again  moved  in  the  direction  of  Waynesborough, 
and  encountering  Wheeler  in  the  neighborhood  of  Thomas's 
Station,  attacked  him  in  position,  driving  him  from  three 
successive  lines  of  barricades  handsomely  through  Waynes- 
borough  and  across  Brier  Creek,  the  bridges  over  which 
he  burned ;  and  then,  with  Baird's  division,  rejoined  the 
left  wing,  which  in  the  mean  time  had  been  marching  by 
easy  stages  of  ten  miles  a  day  in  the  direction  of  Lump- 
kin's  Station  and  Jacksonboro'. 

The  Seventeenth  Corps  took  up  the  destruction  of  the 
railroad  at  the  Ogecchee,  near  Station  No.  10,  and  con- 
tinued it  to  Millen  ;  the  enemy  offering  little  or  no  oppo- 
sition, although  preparation  had  seemingly  been  made  at 
Millen. 

On  the  3d  of  December  the  Seventeenth  Corps,  which 
I  accompanied,  was  at  Millen ;  the  Fifteenth  Corps,  Gen- 
eral Howard,  was  south  of  the  Ogeechee,  opposite  Station 
No.  7  (Scarboro');  the  Twentieth  Corps,  General  Slocum, 
on  the  Augusta  Railroad,  about  four  miles  north  of  Millen, 
near  Buckhead  Church ;  and  the  Fourteenth  Corps,  Gen- 
eral Jeff.  C.  Davis,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Lumpkin's 
Station,  on  the  Augusta  Railroad.  All  were  ordered  to 
march  in  the  direction  of  Savannah — the  Fifteenth  Corps 
to  continue  south  of  the  Ogeechee,  the  Seventeenth  to  de- 
stroy the  railroad  as  far  as  Ogeechee  Church — and  four 
days  were  allowed  to  reach  the  line  from  Ogeechee  Church 


FROM   ATLANTA   TO    SAVANNAH.  75 

to  the  neighb«rhood  of  Halley's  Ferry,  on  the  Savannah 
River.  All  the  columns  reached  their  destinations  in  time, 
and  continued  to  march  on  their  several  roads — General 
Davis  following  the  Savannah  River  road,  General  Slocum 
the  middle  road  by  way  of  Springfield,  General  Blair  the 
railroad,  and  General  Howard  still  south  and  west  of  the 
Ogeechee,  with  orders  to  cross  to  the  east  bank  opposite 
"  Eden  Station,"  or  Station  No.  2. 

As  we  approached  Savannah  the  country  became  more 
marshy  and  difficult,  and  more  obstructions  were  met,  in 
the  way  of  felled  trees,  where  the  roads  crossed  the  creek, 
swamps,  or  narrow  causeways;  but  our  pioneer  companies 
were  well  organized,  and  removed  the  obstructions  in  an 
incredibly  short  time.  No  opposition  from  the  enemy 
worth  speaking  of  was  encountered  until  the  heads  ot 
columns  were  within  fifteen  miles  of  Savannah,  where  all 
the  roads  leading  to  the  city  were  obstructed  more  or  li  83 
by  felled  timber,  with  earthworks  and  artillery.  But  these 
were  easily  turned,  and  the  enemy  driven  away,  so  that  by 
the  10th  of  December  the  enemy  was  driven  within  his 
lines  at  Savannah.  These  followed  substantially  a  swarnpy 
creek  which  empties  into  the  Savannah  River  about  three 
miles  above  the  city,  across  to  the  head  of  a  corresponding 
stream  which  empties  into  the  Little  Ogeechee.  These 
streams  were  singularly  favorable  to  the  enemy  as  a  cover, 
being  very  marshy,  and  bordered  by  rice-fields,  which 
were  flooded  either  by  the  tide-water  or  by  inland  ponds, 
the  gates  to  which  were  controlled  and  covered  by  his 
heavy  artillery. 

The  only  approaches  to  the  city  were  by  five  narrow 
causeways,  namely,  the  two  railroads,  and  the  Augustn, 
the  Louisville,  and  the  Ogeechee  dirt-mads;  all  of  which 
M'ere  commanded  by  heavy  ordnance,  too  strong  for  us  to 


76  GENERAL   SlIEKMAN's   GREAT   WAKCH 

fight  with  our  light  field-guns.  To  assault  an  enemy  of 
unknown  strength  at  such  a  disadvantage  appeared  to  me 
unwise,  especially  as  I  had  so  successfully  brought  ray 
army,  almost  unscathed,  so  great  a  distance,  and  could 
surely  attain  the  same  result  by  the  operation  of  time.  I 
therefore  instructed  my  army  commanders  to  closely  in- 
vest the  city  from  the  north  and  west,  and  to  reconnoitre 
well  the  ground  in  their  fronts,  respectively,  while  I  gave 
ray  pei'sonal  attention  to  opening  communications  with  our 
fleet,  which  I  knew  was  waiting  for  us  in  Tybee,  Wassaw, 
and  Ossabaw  sounds. 

In  approaching  Savannah,  General  Slocum  struck  the 
Charleston  Railroad  near  the  bridge,  and  occupied  the 
river-bank  as  his  left  flank,  where  he  had  captured  two  of 
the  enemy's  river-boats,  and  had  prevented  two  others 
(gunboats)  from  coming  down  the  river  to  communicate 
with  the  city ;  while  General  Howard,  by  his  right  flank, 
had  broken  the  Gulf  Railroad  at  Fleming's  and  way  sta- 
tions, and  occupied  the  railroad  itself  down  to  the  Little 
Ogeechee,  near  "  Station  No.  1 ;"  so  that  no  supplies  could 
reach  Savannah  by  any  of  its  accustomed  channels.  We, 
on  the  contrary,  possessed  large  herds  of  cattle,  which  we 
had  brought  along  or  gathered  in  the  country,  and  our 
wagons  still  contained  a  reasonable  amount  of  breadstufls 
and  other  necessaries,  and  the  fine  rice-crops  of  the  Savan- 
nah and  Ogeechee  rivers  furnished  to  our  men  and  animals 
a  large  amount  of  rice  and  rice-straw.  We  also  held  the 
country  to  the  south  and  west  of  the  Ogeechee  as  foraging- 
grouud.  Still,  communication  with  the  fleet  was  of  vital 
importance,  and  I  directed  General  Kilpatrick  to  cross  the 
Ogeechee  by  a  pontoon  bridge,  to  reconnoitre  Fort  McAl- 
lister, and  to  proceed  to  Catherine's  Sound,  in  the  direction 
of  Sunbury  or  Kilkenny  Bluff,  and  open  communication 


FROM    ATLANTA    TO    SAVANNAH.  77 

with  the  fleet.  General  Howard  had  previously,  by  my 
direction,  sent  one  of  his  best  scouts  down  the  Ogeechee  in 
a  canoe  for  a  like  purpose.  But  more  than  this  was  ne- 
cessary. We  wanted  the  vessels  and  their  contents ;  and 
the  Ogeechee  River,  a  navigable  stream,  close  to  the  rear 
of  our  camps,  was  the  proper  avenue  of  supply. 

The  enemy  had  burned  the  road-bridge  across  the 
Ogeechee,  just  below  the  mouth  of  the  Canoochee,  known 
as  "  King's  Bridge."  This  was  reconstructed  in  an  in- 
credibly short  time,  in  the  most  substantial  manner,  by  the 
58th  Indiana,  Colonel  Buel,  under  the  direction  of  Captain 
Keese,  of  the  Engineers  Corps,  and  on  the  13th  of  Decem- 
ber the  Second  division  of  the  Fifteenth  Corps,  under  com- 
mand of  Brigadier-General  Hazen,  crossed  the  bridge  to 

*j  *  o 

the  west  bank  of  the  Ogeechee,  and  marched  down  with 
orders  to  carry  by  assault  Fort  McAllister,  a  strong  in- 
closed redoubt,  manned  by  two  companies  of  artillery  and 
three  of  infantry,  in  all  about  two  hundred  men,  and 
mounting  twenty-three  guns  en  barbette,  and  one  mortar. 
General  Hazen  reached  the  vicinity  of  Fort  McAllister 
about  1  P.M.,  deployed  his  division  about  that  place,  with 
both  flanks  resting  upon  the  river ;  posted  his  skirmishers 
judiciously  behind  the  trunks  of  trees  whose  branches  had 
been  used  for  abattis,  and  about  5  p.  M.  assaulted  the  place 
with  nine  regiments  at  three  points;  all  of  them  success- 
fully. I  witnessed  the  assault  from  a  rice-mill  on  the  op- 
posite bank  of  the  river,  and  can  bear  testimony  to  the 
handsome  manner  in  which  it  was  accomplished. 

Up  to  this'  time  we  had  not  communicated  with  our  fleet. 
From  the  signal  station  at  the  rice-mill  our  officers  had 
looked  for  two  days  over  the  rice-fields  and  salt  marsh  in 
the  direction  of  Ossabaw  Sound,  but  could,  see  nothing 
of  it.  But  while  watching  the  preparations  for  the  assault 


"78  GENERAL    SHKKMAN's    GREAT   MARCH 

on  Fort  McAllister,  we  discovered  in  the  distance  what 
seemed  to  be  the  smoke-stack  of  a  steamer,  which  became 
more  and  more  distinct.  Until  about  the  very  moment  of 
the  assault  she  was  plainly  visible  below  the  fort,  and  our 
signal  was  answered.  As  soon  as  I  saw  our  colors  fairly 
planted  upon  the  walls  of  Fort  McAllister,  in  company 
with  General  Howard,  I  went  in  a  small  boat  down  to  tho 
fort  and  met  General  Hazen,  who  had  not  yet  communi- 
cated with  the  gunboat  below,  as  it  was  shut  out  to  him 
by  a  point  of  timber.  Determined  to  communicate  that 
night,  I  got  another  small  boat  and  a  crew,  and  pulled 
down  the  river __ till  I  found  the  tug  Dandelion,  Captain 
Williamson,  IT.  S.  N.,  who  informed  me  that  Captain 
Duncan,  who  had  been  sent  by  General  Howard,  had  suc- 
ceeded in  reaching  Admiral  Dahlgren  and  General  Foster, 
and  that  he  was  expecting  them  hourly  in  Ossabaw  Sound. 
After  making  communications  to  those  officers,  and  a  short 
communication  to  the  War  Department,  I  returned  to 
Fort  McAllister  that  night,  and  before  daylight  was  over- 
taken by  Major  Strong,  of  General  Foster's  staff,  advising 
me  that  General  Foster  had  arrived  in  the  Ogeechee,  near 
Fort  McAllister,  and  was  very  anxious  to  meet  me  on 
board  his  boat.  I  accordingly  returned  with  him,  and  met 
General  Foster  on  board  the  steamer  Nemaha;  and,  after 
consultation,  determined  to  proceed  with  him  down  the 
Sound,  in  hopes  to  meet  Admiral  Dahlgren.  But  we  did 
not  meet  him  until  we  reached  Wassaw  Sound,  about  noon. 
I  there  went  on  board  the  admiral's  flagship,  the  Harvest 
Moon,  after  having  arranged  with  General  Foster  to  send 
us  from  Hilton  Head  some  siege  ordnance  and  some  boats 
suitable  for  navigating  the  Ogeechee  River.  Admiral 

CJ  O  O 

Dahlgren  very  kindly  furnished  me  with  all  the  data  con 
cerning  his  fleet  and  the  numerous  forts  that  guarded  the 


FR'»M   ATLANTA   TO    SAVANNAH.  79 

inland  channels  between  the  sea  and  Savannah.  I  ex- 
plained to  him  how  completely  Savannah  was  invested  at 
all  points,  save  only  the  plunk-road  on  the  South  Carolina 
shore,  known  as  the  "Union  Causeway,"  which  I  thought 
I  could  reach  from  my  left  flank  across  the  Savannah 
River.  I  explained  to  him  that  if  he  would  simply  engage 
the  attention  of  the  forts  along  Wilmington  Channel,  at 
Eeaulieu  and  Rosedew,  I  thought  I  could  carry  the  de- 
fences of  Savannah  by  assault  as  soon  as  the  heavy  ordnance 
arrived  from  Hilton  Head.  On  the  15th  the  admiral  carried 
me  back  to  Fort  McAllister,  whence  I  returned  to  our  lines 
in  the  rear  of  Savannah. 

Having  received  and  carefully  considered  all  the  reports 
of  division  commanders,  I  determined  to  assault  the  lines 
of  the  enemy  as  soon  as  my  heavy  ordnance  came  from 
Port  Royal,  first  making  a  formal  demand  for  surrender. 
On  the  17th,  a  number  of  thirty-pounder  Parrott  guns 
having  reached  King's  Bridge,  I  proceeded  in  person  to 
the  headquarters  of  Major-General  Slocum,  on  the  Augusta 
Road,  and  dispatched  thence  into  Savannah,  by  flag  of 
truce,  a  formal  demand  for  the  surrender  of  the  place,  and 
on  the  following  day  received  an  answer  from  General 
Hardee  refusing  to  surrender. 

In  the  mean  time  further  reconnoissances  from  our  left 
flank  had  demonstrated  that  it  was  impracticable  or  unwise 
to  push  any  considerable  force  across  the  Savannah  River, 
for  the  enemy  held  the  river  opposite  the  city  with  iron- 
clad gunboats,  and  could  destroy  any  pontoons  laid  down 
by  us  between  Hutchinson's  Island  and  the  South  Carolina 
shore,  which  would  isolate  any  force  sent  over  from  that 
flank.'  I  therefore  ordered  General  Slocum  to  get  into 
position  the  siege-guns,  and  make  all  the  preparations  ne- 
cessary to  assault,  and  report  to  me  the  earliest  moment 


80  IKNEKAL  SHERMAN'S  GREAT  MARCH 

when  he  could  be  ready ;  while  I  should  proceed  rapidly 
round  by  the  right  and  make  arrangements  to  occupy  the 
Union  Causeway  from  the  direction  of  Port  Royal.  Gen- 
eral Foster  had  already  established  a  division  of  troops  on 
the  peninsula  or  neck  between  the  Coosawatchie  and  Tulli- 
finney  rivers,  at  the  head  of  Broad  River,  from  which 
position  he  could  reach  the  railroad  with  his  artillery. 

I  went  to  Port  Royal  in  person,  and  made  arrangements 
to  re-enforce  that  command  by  one  or  more  divisions,  under 
a  proper  officer;  to  assault  and  carry  the  railroad,  and 
thence  turn  towards  Savannah,  until  it  occupied  the  cause- 
way in  question.  I  went  on  board  the  admiral's  flagship, 
the  Harvest  Moon,  which  put  out  to  sea  the1  night  of  the 
20th.  But  the  wind  was  high,  and  increased  during  the 
night,  so  that  the  pilot  judged  Ossabaw  Bar  impassable,  and 
ran  into  the  Tybee,  whence  we  proceeded  through  the  in- 
land channels  into  Wassaw  Sound,  and  thence  through 
Romney  Marsh.  But  the  ebb-tide  caught  the  Harvest 
Moon,  and  she  was  unable  to  make  the  passage.  Admiral 
Dahlgren  took  me  in  his  barge,  and  pulling  in  the  direction 
of  Yernon  River,  we  met  the  army-tug  Red  Legs,  bearing 
a  message  from  my  adjutant,  Captain  .Dayton,  of  that 
morning,  the  21st,  to  the  effect  that  our  troops  were  in 
possession  of  the  enemy's  lines,  and  were  advancing  with- 
out opp'osition  into  Savannah,  the  enemy  having  evacuated 
the  place  during  the  previous  night. 

Admiral  Dahlgren  proceeded  up  the  Vernon  River  in  his 
barge,  while  I  transferred  to  the  tug,  in  which  I  proceeded 
to  Fort  McAllister,  and  thence  to  the  rice-mill;  and  on  the 
morning  of  the  22d  rode  into  the  city  of  Savannah,  already 
occupied  by  our  troops. 

I  was  very  much  disappointed  that  Hardee  had  escaped 
with  his  garrison,  and  had  to  content  myself  with  the 


FEOM   ATLANTA    TO    SAVANNAH.  81 

material  fruits  of  victory  without  the  cost  of  life  which 
would  have  attended  a  general  assault.  The  substantial 
results  will  be  more  clearly  set  forth  in  the  tabular  state- 
ments of  heavy  ordinance  and  other  public  property  ac- 
quired, and  it  will  suffice  here  to  state  that  the  impor- 
tant city  of  Savannah,  with  its  valuable  harbor  and  river, 
was  the  chief  object  of  the  campaign.  With  it  we  ac- 
quire all  the  forts  and  heavy  ordinance  in  its  vicinity, 
with  large  stores  of  ammunition,  shot  and  shells,  cotton, 
rice,  and  other  valuable  products  of  the  country.  We  also 
gain  locomotives  and  carg,  which,  though  of  little  use  to 
us  in  the  present  condition  of  the  raflroads,  are  a  serious 
loss  to  the  enemy :  as  well  as  four  steamboats  gained,  and 
the  loss  to  the  enemy  of  the  iron-clad  Savannah,  one  ram, 
and  three  transports,  blown  up  or  burned  by  them  the 
night  before. 

Formal  demand  having  been  made  for  the  surrender, 
and  having  been  refused,  I  contend  that  every  thing 
within  the  line  of  intrenchments  belongs  to  the  United 
States  ;  and  I  shall  not  hesitate  to  use  it,  if  necessary, 
for  public  purposes.  But  inasmuch  as  the  inhabitants 
generally  have  manifested  a  friendly  disposition,  I  shall 
disturb  them  as  little  as  possible  consistently  with  the 
military  rights  of  present  and  future  military  commanders, 
without  remitting  in  the  least  our  just  rights  as  captors. 

After  having  made  the  necessary  orders  for  the  disposi- 
tion of  the  troops  in  and  about  Savannah,  I  ordered  Cap- 
tain O.  M.  Poe,  chief  engineer,  to  make  a  thorough  ex- 
amination of  the  enemy's  works  in  and  about  Savannah, 
with  a  view  to  making  it  conform  to  our  future  uses. 
New  lines  of  defences  will  be  built,  embracing  the  city 
proper,  Forts  Jackson,  Thunderbolt,  and  Pulaski  re- 
tained, with  slight  modifications  in  their  armament  and 
4* 


82  GENERAL   SHERMAN'S    GREAT    MARCH 

rear  defences.  All  the  rest  of  the  enemy's  forts  will  be 
dismantled  and  destroyed,  and  their  heavy  ordinance 
transferred  to  Hilton  Head,  where  it  can  be  more  easily 
guarded.  Our  base  of  supplies  will  be  established  in 
Savannah,  as  soon  as  the  very  difficult  obstructions  placed 
in  the  river  can  be  partially  removed.  These  obstructions 
at  present  offer  a  very  serious  impediment  to  the  com- 
merce of  Savannah,  consisting  of  crib-work  of  logs  and 
timber  heavily  bolted  together,  and  filled  with  the  cobble- 
stones which  formerly  paved  the  streets  of  Savannah. 
All  the  channels  .below  the  cit^  were  found  more  or  less 
filled  with  torpedoes,  which  have  been  removed  by  or- 
der of  Admiral  Dahlgren,  so  that  Savannah  already  ful- 
fils the  important  part  it  was  designed  in  our  plans  for 
the  future. 

In  thus  sketching  the  course  of  events  connected  with 
this  campaign,  I  have  purposely  passed  lightly  over  the 
march  from  Atlanta  to  the  sea-shore,  because  it  was  made 
in  four  or  more  columns,  sometimes  at  a  distance  of  fifteen 
or  twenty  miles  from  each  other,  and  it  was  impossible  for 
me  to  attend  but  one.  Therefore  I  have  left  it  to  the  army 
and  corps  commanders  to  describe  in  their  own  language 
the  events  which  attended  the  march  of  their  respective 
columns.  These  reports  are  herewith  submitted,  and  I  beg 
to  refer  to  them  for  further  details.  I  would  merely  sum 
up  the  advantages  which  I  conceive  have  accrued  to  us  by 
this  march. 

Our  former  labors  in  North  Georgia  had  demonstrated 
the  truth  that  no  large  army,  carrying  with  it  the  neces- 
sary stores  and  baggage,  can  overtake  and  capture  an  in- 
ferior force  of  the  enemy  in  his  own  country.  Therefore 
no  alternative  was  left  me  but  the  one  I  adopted,  namely, 
to  divide  my  forces,  and  with  one  part  act  offensively 


FIMM    ATLANTA    TO    SAVANNAH.  83 

against  the  enemy's  resources,  while  with  the  other  I 
should  a«t  defensively,  and  invite  the  enemy  to  attack, 
risking  the  chances  of  battle.  In  this  conclusion  I  have 
been  singularly  sustained  by  the  results.  General  Hood, 
who,  as  I  have  heretofore  described,  had  moved  to  the 
westward  near  Tuscumbia,  with  a  view  to  decoy  me 
away  from  Georgia,  finding  himself  mistaken,  was  forced 
to  choose,  either  to  pursue  me  or  to  act  offensively  against 
the  other  part  left  in  Tennessee.  He  adopted  the  latter 
course ;  and  General  Thomas  has  wisely  and  well  fulfilled 
his  part  in  the  grand  scheme  in  drawing  Hood  well  up 
into  Tennessee  until  he  could  concentrate  all  his  own  troops 
and  then  turn  upon  Hood,  as  he  has  done,  and  destroy  or 
fatally  cripple  his  army.  That  part  of  my  army  is  so  far 
removed  from  me,  that  I  leave,  with  perfect  confidence,  its 
management  and  history  to  General  Thomas. 

I  was  thereby  left  with  a  well-appointed  army  to  sever 
the  enemy's  only  remaining  railroad  communications  east- 
ward and  westward,  for  over  100  miles — namely,  the 
Georgia  State  Railroad,  which  is  broken  up  from  Fairburn 
Station  to  Madison  and  the  Oconee,  and  the  Central  Rail- 
road from  Gordon  clear  to  Savannah,  with  numerous 
breaks  on  the  latter  road  from  Gordon  to  Eatonton,  and 
from  Millen  to  Augusta,  and  the  Savannah  and  Gulf  Rail- 
road. We  have  also  consumed  the  corn  and  fodder  in  the 
region  of  country  thirty  miles  on  either  side  of  a  line  from 
Atlanta  to  Savannah  ;  as  also  the  sweet  potatoes,  cattle, 
hogs,  sheep,  and  poultry,  a-nd  have  carried  away  more  than 
10,000  horses  and  mules,  as  well  as  a  countless  number  of 
their  slaves.  I  estimate  the  damage  done  to  the  State  of 
Georgia  and  its  military  resources  at  $100,000,000,  at  least 
$20,000,000  of  which  has  inured  to  our  advantage,  and  the 
remainder  is  simple  waste  and  destruction.  This  may  seem 


84:  GENK11AL   SIIEKMAN'g    GKKAT   MARCH 

a  hard  species  of  warfare,  but  it  brings  the  sad  realities  of 
war  home  to  those  who  have  been  directly  or»indirectly 
instrumental  in  involving  us  in  its  attendant  calamities. 

This  campaign  has  also  placed  this  branch  of  my  army 
in  a  position  from  which  other  great  military  results  may 
be  attempted,  besides  leaving  in  Tennessee  and  North 
Alabama  a  force  which  is  amply  sufficient  to  meet  ail 
the  chances  of  war  in  that  region  of  our  country. 

Since  the  capture  of  Atlanta  my  staff  is  unchanged,  save 
that  General  Barry,  chief  of  artillery,  has  been  absent  sick 
since  our  leaving  Kingston.  Surgeon  Moore,  United  States 
Army,  is  chief  medical  director,  in  place  of  Surgeon  Kittoe, 
relieved  to  resume  his  proper  duties  as  a  medical  inspector. 
Major  Hitchcock,  A.  A.  G.,  has  also  been  added  to  my 
staff,  and  has  been  of  great  assistance  in  the  field  and  office. 
Captain  Dayton  still  remains  as  my  adjutant-general.  All 
have,  as  formerly,  fulfilled  their  parts  to  my  entire  satis- 
faction. 

In  the  body  of  my  army  I  feel  a  just  pride.  Generals 
Howard  and  Slocum  are  gentlemen  of  singular  capacity 
and  intelligence,  thorough  soldiers  and  patriots,  working 
day  and  night,  not  for  themselves,  but  for  their  country 
and  their  men.  General  Kilpatrick,  who  commanded  the 
cavalry  of  this  army,  lias  handled  it  with  spirit  and  dash, 
to  my  entire  satisfaction,  and  kept  a  superior  force  of  tho 
enemy's  cavalry  from  even  approaching  our  infantry 
columns  or  wagon-trains.  His  report  is  full  and  graphic. 
All  the  division  and  brigade  commanders  merit  my  personal 
and  official  thanks,  and  I  shall  spare  no  efforts  to  secure 
them  commissions  equal  to  the  rank  they  have  exercised  so 
well.  As  to  the  rank  and  file,  they  seem  so  full  of  confi- 
dence in  themselves  that  I  doubt  if  they  want  a  compli- 
ment from  me  ;  but  I  must  do  them  the  justice  to  say  that, 


FROM  CHATTANOOGA  TO  ATLANTA.          85 

whether  called  on  to  fight,  to  march,  to  wade  streams,  to 
make  roads,  clear  out  obstructions,  build  bridges,  make 
"  corduroy,''  or  tear  up  railroads,  they  have  done  it  with 
alacrity  and  a  degree  of  cheerfulness  unsurpassed.  A  little 
loose  in  foraging,  they  "  did  some  things  they  ought  not  to 
have  done,"  yet  on  the  whole  they  have  supplied  the  wants 
of  the  army  with  as  little  violence  as  could  be  expected, 
and  as  little  loss  as  I  calculated.  Some  of  these  foraging- 
parties  had  encounters  with  the  enemy  which  would,  in 
ordinary  times,  rank  as  respectable  battles.  The  behavior 
of  our  troops  in  Savannah  has  been  so  manly,  so  quiet,  so 
perfect,  that  I  take  it  as  the  best  evidence  of  discipline 
and  true  courage.  Never  was  a  hostile  city,  filled  with 
women  and  children,  occupied  by  a  large  army  with  less 
disorder,  or  more  system,  order,  and  good  government. 
The  same  general  and  generous  spirit  of  confidence  and 
good  feeling  pervades  the  army  which  it  has  ever  afforded 
me  special  pleasure  to  report  on  former  occasions. 

I  avail  myself  of  this  occasion  to  express  my  heartfelt 
thanks  to  Admiral  Dahlgren.  and  the  officers  and  men  of  his 
fleet,  as  also  to  General  Foster  and  his  command,  for  the 
hearty  welcome  given  us  on  our  arrival  at  the  coast,  and 
for  their  steady  and  prompt  co-operation  in  all  measures 
tending  to  the  result  accomplished. 

I  send  herewith  a  map  of  the  country  through  which  we 
have  passed  ;  reports  from  General  Howard,  General  Slo- 
cum,  and  General  Kilpatrick,  and  their  subordinates  re- 
spectively ;  with  the  usual  lists  of  captured  property,  killed, 
wounded,  and  missing,  prisoners  of  war  taken  and  rescued  ; 
as  also  copies  of  all  papers  illustrating  the  campaign.  All  of 
which  are  respectfully  submitted  by 
Your  obedient  servant, 

W.  T.  SHERMAN,  Major-General. 


86  GENI RAL  SHERMAN'S  GREAT  MARCH 

III. 
FROM  SAVANNAH  TO  GOLDSBORO', 

THROUGH   THE    CAROLINAS. 


HEADQUARTERS  MIL.  Div.  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI, 
Goldsboro',  N.  C.,  April  4,  ISrto. 

GENERAL — I  must  now  endeavor  to  group  the  events  of 
the  past  three  months  connected  with  the  armies  under  my 
command,  in  order  that  you  may  have  as  clear  an  under- 
standing of  the  late  campaign  as  the  case  admits  of.  The 
reports  of  the  subordinate  commanders  will  enable  you  to 
fill  up  the  picture. 

I  have  heretofore  explained  how,  in  the  progress  of  our 
arms,  I  was  enabled  to  leave  in  the  West  an  army  under 
Major-General  George  H.  Thomas  of  sufficient  strength  to 
meet  emergencies  in  that  quarter,  while  in  person  I  con- 
ducted another  army,  composed  of  the  Fourteenth,  Fif- 
teenth, Seventeenth,  and  Twentieth  corps,  and  Kilpatrick's 
division  of  cavalry,  to  the  Atlantic  slope,  aiming  to  ap- 
proach the  grand  theatre  of  war  in  Virginia  by  the  time 
the  season  would  admit  of  military  operations  in  that  lati- 
tude. The  first  lodgment  on  the  coast  was  made  at  Sa- 
vannah, strongly  fortified  and  armed,  and  valuable  to  us  as 
a  good  seaport,  with  its  navigable  stream  inland.  Near  a 
month  was  consumed  there  in  refitting  the  army,  and  in 
making  the  proper  disposition  of  captured  property,  and 
other  local  matters  ;  but  by  the  15th  of  January  I  was  all 
ready  to  resume  the  m'arch.  Preliminary  to  this,  General 


FEOM    SAVANNAH    TO    GOLDSBORo'.  87 

Howard,  commanding  the  right  wing,  was  ordered  to  em- 
bark his  command  at  Thunderbolt,  transport  it  to  Beaufort, 
South  Carolina,  and  thence,  by  the  15th  of  January,  make 
a  lodgment  on  the  Charleston  Railroad,  at  or  near  Pocota- 
ligo.  This  was  accomplished  punctually,  at  little  cost,  by 
the  Seventeenth  Corps,  Major-General  Blair,  and  a  depot 
for  supplies  was  established  near  the  mouth  of  Pocotaligo 
Creek,  with  easy  water  communication  back  to  Hilton  Head. 

The  left  wing,  Major-General  Slocum,  and  the  cavalry, 
Major-General  Kilpatrick,  were  ordered  to  rendezvous 
about  the  same  time  near  Robertsville  and  Coosawhatchie, 
South  Carolina,  with  a  depot  of  supplies  at  Pureysburg  or 
Sister's  Ferry,  on  the  Savannah  River.  General  Slocum 
had  a  good  pontoon  bridge  constructed  opposite  the  city, 
and  the  "  Union  Causeway,"  leading  through  the  low  rice- 
n'elds  opposite  Savannah,  was  repaired  and  "  corduroyed." 
But  before  the  time  appointed  to  start,  the  heavy  rains  of 
January  had  swelled  the  river,  broken  the  pontoon  bridge, 
and  overflowed  the  whole  "  bottom,"  so  that  the  causeway 
was  four  feet  under  water,  and  General  Slocum  was  com- 
pelled to  look  higher  up  for  a  passage  over  the  Savannah 
River.  He  moved  up  to  Sister's  Ferry,  but  even  there  the 
river,  with  its  overflowed  bottoms,  was  near  three  miles 
wide,  and  he  did  not  succeed  in  getting  his  whole  wing 
across  until  during  the  first  week  of  February. 

In  the  mean  time,  General  Grant  had  sent  me  Grover's 
division  of  the  Nineteenth  Corps  to  garrison  Savannah,  and 
had  drawn  the  Twenty-third  Corps,  Major-General  Schotield, 
from  Tennessee,  and  sent  it  to  re-enforce  the  commands  of 
Major-Generals  Terry  and  Palmer,  operating  on  the  coast 
of  North  Carolina,  to  prepare  the  way  for  my  coming. 

On  the  18th  of  January  I  transferred  the  forts  and  city 
of  Savannah  to  Major-General  Foster,  commanding  the 


83  GENERAL   SHERMAN'S    GREAT   MARCH 

Department  of  the  South,  imparted  to  him  my  plans  of 
operation,  and  instructed  him  how  to  follow  my  movements 
inland,  by  occupying  in  succession  the  city  of  Charleston 
and  such  other  points  along  the  seacoast  as  would  be  of 
any  military  value  to  us.  The  combined  naval  and  land 
forces  under  Admiral  Porter  and  General  Terry  had,  on 
the  15th  of  January,  captured  Fort  Fisher  and  the  rebel 
forts  at  the  mouth  of  Cape  Fear  River,  giving  me  an  ad- 
ditional point  of  security  on  the  seacoast.  But  I  had 
already  resolved  in  my  own  mind,  and  had  so  advised  Gen- 
eral Grant,  that  I  would  undertake  at  one  stride  to  make 
Goldsboro',  and  open  communication  with  the  sea  by  the 
Newbern  Railroad,  and  had  ordered  Colonel  W.  W. 
Wright,  superintendent  of  military  railroads,  to  proceed 
in  advance  to  Newbern,  and  to  be  prepared  to  extend  the 
railroad  out  from  Newbern  to  Goldsboro'  by  the  loth  of 
March.  On  the  19th  of  January  all  preparations  were 
complete,  and  the  orders  of  march  given.  My  chief 
quartermaster  and  commissary,  Generals  Easton  and  Beck- 
with,  were  ordered  to  complete  the  supplies  at  Sister's 
Ferry  and  Pocotaligo,  and  then  to  follow  our  movement 
coastwise,  looking  for  my  arrival  at  Goldsboro',  North 
Carolina,  about  March  15,  and  opening  communication 
with  me  from  Morehead  City. 

On  the  22d  of  January  I  embarked  at  Savannah  for 
Hilton  Head,  where  I  held  a  conference  with  Admiral 
Dahlgren,  United  States  Navy,  and  Major-General  Foster, 
commanding  the  Department  of  the  South,  and  next  day 
proceeded  to  Beaufort,  riding  out  thence  on  the  24th  to 
Pocotaligo,  where  the  Seventeenth  Corps,  Major-General 
Blair,  was  encamped.  The  Fifteenth  Corps  was  somewhat 
scattered — Woods'  and  Hazen's  divisions  at  Beaufort,  John 
E.  Smith  marching  from  Savannah  by  the  coast  road,  and 


FROM   SAVANNAH   TO   GOLDSBORo'.  89 

Corse  still  at  Savannah,  cut  off  by  the  storms  and  freshet 
in  the  river.  On  the  25th  a  demonstration  was  made 
against  the  Combahee  Ferry  and  railroad-bridge  across  the 
Salkehatchie,  merely  to  amuse  the  enemy,  who  had  evi- 
dently adopted  that  river  as  his  defensive  line  against  our 
supposed  objective,  the  city  of  Charleston.  I  reconnoitred 
the  line  in  person,  and  saw  that  the  heavy  rains  had  swol- 
len the  river  so  that  water  stood  in  the  swamps,  for  a 
breadth  of  more  than  a  mile,  at  a  depth  of  from  one  to 
twenty  feet.  Not  having  the  remotest  intention  of  ap- 
proaching Charleston,  a  comparatively  small  force  was  able, 
by  seeming  preparations  to  cross  over,  to  keep  in  their 
front  a  considerable  force  of  the  enemy  disposed  to  con- 
test our  advance  on  Charleston.  On  the  27th  I  rode  to 
the  camp  of  General  Hatch's  division  of  Foster's  command, 
on  the  Tullafulney  and  Coosawhatchie  rivers,  and  directed 
those  places  to  be  evacuated,  as  no  longer  of  any  use  to  us. 
That  division  was  then  moved  to  Pocotaligo  to  keep  up 
the  feints  already  begun,  until  we  should  with  the  right 
wing  move  higher  up  and  cross  the  Salkehatchie  about 
Rivers'  or  Broxton's  bridge.  On  the  29th  I  learned  that 
the  roads  back  of  Savannah  had  at  last  become  sufficiently 
free  of  the  flood  to  admit  of  General  Slocum  putting  his 
wing  in  motion,  and  that  he  was  already  approaching  Sis- 
ter's Ferry,  whither  a  gunboat,  the  Pontiac,  Captain  Luce, 
kindly  furnished  by  Admiral  Dahlgren,  had  preceded  him 
to  cover  the  crossing.  In  the  mean  time,  three  divisions  of 
the  Fifteenth  Corps  had  closed  up  at  Pocotaligo,  and  the 
right  wing  had  loaded  its  wagons  and  was  ready  to  start. 
I  therefore  directed  General  Howard  to  move  one  corps, 
the  Seventeenth,  along  the  Salkehatchie,  as  high  up  as 
Rivers'  Bridge,  and  the  other,  the  Fifteenth,  by  Hickory 
Hill,  Loper's  Cross-roads,  Anglesey  Post-office,  and  Beau- 


90        GENERAL  SHERMAN'S  GREAT  MARCH 

fort's  Bridge.  Hatch's  division  was  ordered  to  remain  at 
Pocotaligo,  feigning  at  the  Salkehatchie  railroad-bridge  and 
ferry,  until  our  movement  turned  the  enemy's  position  and 
forced  him  to  fall  behind  the  Edisto. 

The  Seventeenth  and  Fifteenth  corps  drew  out  of  camp 
on  the  31st  of  January,  but  the  real  inarch  began  on  the 
1st  of  February.  All  the  roads  northward  had  for  weeks 
been  held  by  Wheeler's  cavalry,  who  had  by  details  of 
negro  laborers  felled  trees,  burned  bridges,  and  made  ob- 
structions to  impede  our  march.  But  so  well  organized 
were  our  pioneer  battalions,  and  so  strong  and  intelligent 
our  men,  that  obstructions  seemed  only  to  quicken  their 
progress.  Felled  trees  were  removed  and  bridges  rebuilt 
by  the  heads  of  columns  before  the  rear  could  close  up. 
On  the  2d  of  February  the  Fifteenth  Corps  reached  Loper's 
Cross-roads,  and  the  Seventeenth  was  at  Rivers'  Bridge. 
From  Loper's  Cross-roads  I  communicated  with  General 
Slocum,  still  struggling  with  the  floods  of  the  Savannah 
River  at  Sister's  Ferry.  He  had  two  divisions  of  the 
Twentieth  Corps,  General  Williams,  on  the  east  bank,  and 
was  enabled  to  cross  over  on  his  pontoons  the  cavalry  of 
Kilpatrick.  General  Williams  was  ordered  to  Beaufort's 
Bridge,  by  way  of  Lawtonville  and  Allendale,  Kilpatrick 
to  Blackville  via  Barnwell,  and  General  Slocum  to  hurry 
the  crossing  at  Sister's  Ferry  as  much  as  possible,  and  over- 
take the  right  wing  on  the  South  Carolina  Railroad.  Gen- 

O  O 

eral  Howard,  with  the  right  wing,  was  directed  to  cross 
the  Salkehatchie  and  push  rapidly  for  the  South  Carolina 
Railroad,  at  or  near  Midway.  The  enemy  held  the  line  of 
the  Salkehatchie  in  force,  having  infantry  and  artillery  in- 
trenched at  Rivers'  and  Beaufort's  bridges.  The  Seven- 
teenth Corps  Avas  ordered  to  carry  Rivers'  Bridge,  and  the 
Fifteenth  Corps  Beaufort's  Bridge.  The  former  position 


FKOM   SAVANNAH   TO    GOLDSBORO'.  91 

was  carried  promptly  and  skilfully  by  Mower's  and  Giles 
A.  Smith's  divisions  of  the  Seventeenth  Corps,  on  the  3d 
of  February,  by  crossing  the  swamp,  nearly  three  miles 
wide,  with  water  varying  from  knee  to  shoulder  deep. 
The  weather  was  bitter  cold,  and  Generals  Mower  and 
Smith  led  their  divisions  in  person,  on  foot,  waded  the 
swamp,  made  a  lodgment  below  the  bridge,  and  turned  on 
the  rebel  brigade  which  guarded  it,  driving  it  in  confusion 
and  disorder  towards  Branchville.  Our  casualties  were 
one  officer  and  seventeen  men  killed,  and  seventy  men 
wounded,  who  were  sent  to  Pocotaligo.  The  line  of  the 
Salkehatcliie  being  thus  'broken,  the  enemy  retreated  at 
once  behind  the  Edisto,  at  Branchvifle,  and  the  whole 
army  was  pushed  rapidly  to  the  South  Carolina  Railroad 
at  Midway,  Bamberg  (or  Lowry's  Station),  and  Graham's 
Station.  The  Seventeenth  Corps,  by  threatening  Branch- 
ville, forced  the  enemy  to  burn  the  railroad  bridge,  and 
Walker's  Bridge  below,  across  the  Edisto.  All  hands 
were  at  once  set  to  work  to  destroy  railroad  track.  From 
the  7th  to  the  10th  of  February  this  work  was  thoroughly 
prosecuted  by  the  Seventeenth  Corps  from  the  Edisto  up 
to  Bamberg,  and  by  the  Fifteenth  Corps  from  Bamberg 
up  to  Blackville.  In  the  mean  time  General  Kilpatrick  had 
brought  his  cavalry  rapidly  by  Barnwell  to  Blackville,  and 
had  turned  towards  Aiken,  with  orders  to  threaten  Augus- 
ta, but  not  to  be  drawn  needlessly  into  a  serious  battle. 
This  he  skilfully  accomplished,  skirmishing  heavily  with 
Wheeler's  cavalry,  first  at  Blackville,  and  afterwards  at 
Williston  and  Aiken.  General  Williams,  with  two  divi- 
sions of  the  Twentieth  Corps,  marched  to  the  South  Car- 
olina Railroad  at  Graham's  Station,  on  the  8th,  and  Gen- 
eral Slocum  reached  Blackville  on  the  10th.  The  destruc- 
tion of  the  railroad  was  continued  by  the  left  wing  from 


92  GENERAL  SHERMAN'S  GREAT  MARCH 

Blackville  up  to  Windsor.  By  the  llth  of  February  all 
the  array  was  on  the  railroad  from  Midway  to  Johnson's 
Station,  thereby  dividing  the  enemy's  forces,  which  still 
remained  at  Branchville  and  Charleston  on  the  one  hand, 
Aiken  and  Augusta  on  the  other. 

We  then  began  the  movement  on  Orangeburg.  The 
Seventeeth  Corps  crossed  the  South  Fork  of  Edisto  River 
at  Binnaker's  Bridge,  and  moved  straight  for  Orangeburg, 
while  the  Fifteenth  Corps  crossed  at  Holman's  Bridge  and 
moved  to  Poplar  Springs  in  support.  The  left  wing  and 
cavalry  were  still  at  work  on  the  railroad,  with  orders  to 
cross  the  South  Edisto  at  New  and  Guignard's  bridges, 
move  to  the  Orangeburg  and  Edgefield  Road,  and  there 
await  the  result  of  the  attack  on  Orangeburg.  On  the 
12th  the  Seventeenth  Corps  found  the  enemy  intrenched  in 
front  of  the  Orangeburg  Bridge,  but  swept  him  away  by  a 
dash,  and  followed  him,  forcing  him  across  the  bridge, 
which  was  partially  burned.  Behind  the  bridge  was  a 
battery  in  position,  covered  by  a  cotton  and  earth  para- 
pet, with  wings  as  far  as  could  be  seen.  General  Blair  held 
one  division  (Giles  A.  Smith's)  close  up  to  the  Edisto,  and 
moved  the  other  two  to  a  point  about  two  miles  below, 
where  he  crossed  Force's  division  by  a  pontoon  bridge, 
holding  Mower's  in  support.  As  soon  as  Force  emerged 
from  the  swamp,  the  enemy  gave  ground,  and  Giles 
Smith's  division  gained  the  bridge,  crossed  over,  and  oc- 
cupied the  enemy's  parapet.  He  soon  repaired  the  bridge, 
and  by  4  P.M.  the  whole  corps  was  in  Orangeburg,  and  had 
begun  the  work  of  destruction  on  the  railroad.  Blair  was 
ordered  to  destroy  this  railroad  effectually  up  to  Lewis- 
ville,  and  to  push  the  enemy  across  the  Congaree,  and 
force  him  to  burn  the  bridges,  which  he  did  on  the  14th  ; 
and  without  wasting  time  or  labor  on  Branchville  or 


FKOM    SAVANNAH   TO    GOLDSBOKO'.  93 

Charleston,  which  I  knew  the  enemy  could  no  longer  hold, 
I  turned  all  the  columns  straight  on  Columbia.  The 
Seventeenth  Corps  followed  the  State  road,  and  the  Fif- 
teenth crossed  the  North  Edisto  from  Poplar  Springs  at 
Schilling's  Bridge,  above  the  mouth  of  "  Cawcaw  Swamp1' 
Creek,  and  took  a  country  road  which  came  into  the  State 
Road  at  Zeigler's.  On  the  15th,  the  Fifteenth  Corps  found 
the  enemy  in  a  strong  position  at  Little  Congaree  bridge 
(across  Congaree  Creek),  with  a  tete-de-pont  on  the  south 
side,  and  a  well -constructed  fort  on  the  north  side,  com- 
manding the  bridge  with  artillery.  The  ground  in  front 
was  very  bad,  level,  and  clear,  with  a  fresh  deposit  of  mud 
from  a  recent  overflow.  General  Charles  R.  Woods,  who 
commanded  the  leading  division,  succeeded,  however,  in 
turning  the  flank  of  the  t&e-de-pont,  by  sending  Stone's 
brigade  through  a  cypress  swamp  to  the  left ;  and  follow- 
ing up  the  retreating  enemy  promptly,  he  got  possession 
of  the  bridge  and  the  fort  beyond.  The  bridge  had  been 
partially  damaged  by  fire,  and  had  to  be  repaired  for  the 
passage  of  artillery,  so  that  night  closed  in  before  the  head 
of  the  column  reached  the  bridge  across  Congaree  River 
in  front  of  Columbia.  That  night  the  enemy  shelled  our 
camps  from  a  battery  on  the  east  side  of  the  Congaree 
above  Granby.  Early  next  morning  (February  16)  the 
head  of  the  column  reached  the  bank  of  the  Congaree,  op- 
posite Columbia,  but  too  late  to  save  the  fine  bridge  which 
spanned  the  river  at  that  point.  It  was  burned  by  the 
enemy.  While  waiting  for  the  pontoons  to  come  to  the 
front  we  could  see  people  running  about  the  streets  of 
Columbia,  and  occasionally  small  bodies  of  cavalry,  but  no 
masses.  A  single  gun  of  Captain  De  Grass's  battery  was 
firing  at  their  cavalry  squads,  but  I  checked  his  firing, 
limiting  him  to  a  few  shots  at  the  unfinished  State-House 


94:  GENERAL   SHERMAN'S    GREAT   MARCH 

Avails,  and  a  few  shells  at  the  railroad  depot  to  scatter  the 
people  who  were  seen  carrying  a\vay  sacks  of  corn  and 
meal  that  we  needed.  There  was  no  white  flag  or  mani- 
festations of  surrender.  I  directed  General  Howard  not  to 
cross  directly  in  front  of  Columbia,  but  to  cross  the  Saluda 
at  the  Factory,  three  miles  above,  and  afterwards  Broad 
River,  so  as  to  approach  Columbia  from  the  north.  With- 
in an  hour  of  the  arrival  of  General  Howard's  head  of 
column  at  the  river  opposite  Columbia,  the  head  of  column 
of  the  left  wing  also  appeared,  and  I  directed  General 
Slocurn  to  cross  the  Saluda  at  Zion  Church,  and  thence  to 
take  roads  direct  for  Winnsboro',  breaking  up  en  route 
the  railroad  and  bridges  about  Alston. 

General  Howard  effected  a  crossing  of  the  Saluda,  near 
the  Factory,  on  the  16th,  skirmishing  with  cavalry,  and 
the  same  night  made  a  flying  bridge  across  Broad  River, 
about  three  miles  above  Columbia,  by  which  he  crossed 
over  Stone's  brigade,  of  Wood's  division,  Fifteenth  Corps. 
Under  cover  of  this  brigade  a  pontoon  bridge  was  laid  on 
the  morning  of  the  17th.  I  was  in  person  at  this  bridge, 
and  at  11  A.M.,  learned  that  the  mayor  of  Columbia  had 
come  out  in  a  carriage,  and  made  a  formal  surrender  ot 
the  city  to  Colonel  Stone,  25th  Iowa  infantry,  commanding 
Third  brigade,  First  division,  Fifteenth  Corps.  About  the 
same  time  a  small  party  of  the  Seventeenth  Corps  had 
crossed  the  Congaree  in  a  skiff,  and  entered  Columbia 
from  a  point  immediately  west.  In  anticipation  of  the  oc- 
cupation of  the  city,  I  had  made  written  orders  to  General 
Howard  touching  the  conduct  of  the  troops.  These  were 
to  destroy  absolutely  all  arsenals  and  public  property  not 
needed  for  our  own  use,  as  well  as  all  railroads,  depots, 
and  machinery  useful  in  war  to  an  enemy,  but  to  spare  all 
dwellings,  colleges,  schools,  asylums,  and  harmless  private 


FKOM  SAVANNAH  TO  GOLBSBOEo'.  95 

property.  I  was  the  first  to  cross  the  pontoon  bridge,  and 
in  company  with  General  Howard  rode  into  the  city.  The 
day  was  clear,  but  a  perfect  tempest  of  wind  was  raging. 
The  brigade  of  Colonel  Stone  was  already  in  the  city,  and 
was  properly  posted.  Citizens  and  soldiers  were  on  the 
streets,  and  general  good  order  prevailed.  General  Wade 
Hampton,  who  commanded  the  Confedarate  rear-guard  of 
cavalry,  had,  in  anticipation  of  our  capture  of  Columbia, 
ordered  that  all  cotton,  public  and  private,  should  be 
moved  into  the  streets  and  fired,  to  prevent  our  making 
use  of  it.  Bales  were  piled  everywhere,  the  rope  and 
bagging  cut,  and  tufts  of  cotton  were  blown  about  in  the 
wind,  lodging  in  the  trees  and  against  houses,  so  as  to  re- 

*  O         O  O  * 

semble  a  snow-storm.  Some  of  these  piles  of  cotton  were 
burning,  especially  one  in  the  very  heart  of  the  city,  near 
the  Courthouse,  but  the  fire  was  partially  subdued  by  the 
labor  of  our  soldiers.  During  the  day  the  Fifteenth  Corps 
passed  through  Columbia  and  out  on  the  Camden  road. 
The  Seventeenth  did  not  enter  the  town  at  all ;  and,  as  I 
have  before  stated,  the  left  wing  and  cavalry  did  not  come 
within  two  miles  of  the  town. 

Before  one  single  public  building  had  been  fired  by 
order,  the  smoldering  fires,  set  by  Hampton's  order,  were 
rekindled  by  the  wind,  and  communicated  to  the  buildings 
around.  About  dark  they  began  to  spread,  and  got  beyond 
the  control  of  the  brigade  on  duty  within  the  city.  The 
whole  of  Woods'  division  was  brought  in,  but  it  was  found 
impossible  to  check  the  flames,  which,  by  midnight,  had 
become  unmanageable,  and  raged  until  about  4  A.  M.,  when 
the  wind  subsiding,  they  were  got  under  control.  I  was  up 
nearly  all  night,  and  saw  Generals  Howard,  Logan,  Woods, 
and  others,  laboring  to  save  houses  and  protect  families 
thus  suddenly  deprived  of  shelter,  and  of  bedding  and 


96         GENERAL  SHERMAN^  GREAT  MARCH 

wearing  apparel.  I  disclaim  on  the  part  of  my  army  any 
agency  in  this  fire,  but  on  the  contrary  claim  that  we  saved 
what  of  Columbia  remains  unconsumed.  And  without 
hesitation  I  charge  General  Wade  Hampton  with  having 
burned  his  own  city  of  Columbia,  not  with  a  malicious  in- 
tent, or  as  the  manifestation  of  a  silly  "  Roman  stoicism," 
but  from  folly  and  want  of  sense  in  filling  it  with  lint, 
cotton,  and  tinder.  Our  officers  and  men  on  duty  worked 
well  to  extinguish  the  flames ;  but  others  not  on  duty,  in- 
cluding the  officers  who  had  long  been  imprisoned  there, 
rescued  by  us,  may  have  assisted  in  spreading  the  fire  after 
it.  had  once  begun,  and  may  have  indulged  in  unconcealed 
joy  to  see  the  ruin  of  the  capital  of  South  Carolina.  Dur- 
ing the  18th  and  19th,  the  arsenal,  railroad  depots,  machine 
shops,  foundries,  and  other  buildings  were  properly  de- 
stroyed by  detailed  working  parties,  and  the  railroad  track 
torn  up  and  destroyed  down  to  Kingsville  and  the  Wateree 
Bridge,  and  up  in  the  direction  of  Winnsboro'. 

At  the  same  time  the  left  wing  and  cavalry  had  crossed 
the  Saluda  and  Broad  rivers,  breaking  up  railroad  about 
Alston,  and  as  high  up  as  the  bridge  across  Broad  River 
on  the  Spartanburg  road,  the  main  body  moving  straight 
for  Winnsboro',  which  General  Slocum  reached  on  the  21st 
of  February.  He  caused  the  railroad  to  be  destroyed  up 
to  Blackstakes  Depot,  and  then  turned  to  Rocky  Mount, 
on  the  Catawba  River.  The  Twentieth  Corps  reached 
Rocky  Mount  on  the  22d,  laid  a  pontoon  bridge,  and 
crossed  over  during  the  23d.  Kilpatrick's  cavalry  followed, 
and  crossed  over  in  a  terrible  rain  during  the  night  of  the 
23d,  and  moved  up  to  Lancaster,  with  orders  to  keep  up 
the  delusion  of  a  general  movement  on  Charlotte,  North 
Carolina,  to  which  General  Beauregard  and  all  the  cavalry 
of  the  enemy  had  retreated  from  Columbia.  I  was  also 


FROM    SAVANNAH    TO    GOLDSBOKo'.  97 

aware  that  Cheatham's  corps,  of  Hood's  old  army,  was 
aiming  to  make  a  junction  with  Beauregard  at  Charlotte, 
having  been  cut  off  by  our  rapid  movement  on  Columbia 
and  Winnsboro'.  From  the  23d  to  the  26th  we  had  heavy 
rains,  swelling  the  rivers  and  making  the  roads  almost 
impassable.  The  Twentieth  Corps  reached  Hanging  Rock 
on  the  26th,  and  waited  there  for  the  Fourteenth  Corps  to 
get  across  the  Catawba.  The  heavy  rains  had  so  swollen 
the  river  that  the  pontoon  bridge  broke,  and  General  Davis 
had  very  hard  work  to  restore  it  and  get  his  command 
across.  At  last  he  succeeded,  and  the  left  wing  was  all 
put  in  motion  for  Cheraw.  In  the  mea.n  time  the  right 
wing  had  broken  up  the  railroad  to  Winnsboro',  and  thence 
turned  for  Peay's  Ferry,  where  it  was  crossed  over  the 
Catawba  before  the  heavy  rains  set  in,  the  Seventeenth 
Corps  moving  straight  on  Cheraw  via  Young's  bridge, 
and  the  Fifteenth  Corps  by  Tiller's  and  Kelly's  bridges. 
From  this  latter  corps  detachments  were  sent  into  Camden 
to  burn  the  bridge  over  the  Wateree,  with  the  railroad 
depot,  stores,  &c.  A  small  force  of  mounted  men  under 
Captain  Duncan  was  also  dispatched  to  make  a  dash 
and  interrupt  the  railroad  from  Charleston  to  Flor- 
ence, but  it  met  Butler's  division  of  cavalry,  and  after  a 
sharp  night-skirmish  on  Mount  Elon  was  compelled  to  return 
unsuccessful.  Much  bad  road  was  encountered  at  Lynch's 
Creek,  which  delayed  the  right  wing  about  the  same  length 
of  time  as  the  left  wing  had  been  at  the  Catawba.  On  the 
2d  of  March  the  leading  division  of  the  Twentieth  Corps 
entered  Chesterfield,  skirmishing  with  Butler's  division  of 
cavalry,  and  the  next  day  about  noon  the  Seventeenth 
Corps  entered  Cheraw,  the  enemy  retreating  across  the 
Pedee  and  burning  the  bridge  at  that  point.  At  Cheraw 
we  found  much  ammunition  and  many  guns,  which  had 

5 


98  GENERAL   SHEEMAN's    GEEAT   MAECH 

been  brought  from  Charleston  on  the  evacuation  of  that 
city.  These  were  destroyed,  as  also  the  railroad  trestles  and 
bridges  down  as  far  as  Darlington.  An  expedition  of  mount- 
ed infantry  was  also  sent  down  to  Florence,  but  it  encoun- 
tered both  cavalry  and  infantry,  and  returned  having  only 
broken  up  in  part  the  branch  road  from  Florence  to  Cheraw. 

Without  unnecessary  delay  the  columns  were  again  put 
in  motion,  directed  on  Fayetteville,  North  Carolina,  the 
right  wing  crossing  the  Pedee  at  Cheraw  and  the  left  wing 
and  cavalry  at  Sneedsboro'.  General  Kilpatrick  was 
ordered  to  keep  well  on  the  left  flank,  and  the  Fourteenth 
Corps,  moving  by  Love's  Bridge,  was  given  the  right  to 
enter  and  occupy  Fayetteville  first.  The  weather  continued 
unfavorable  and  roads  bad,  but  the  Fourteenth  and  Seven- 
teenth Corps  reached  Fayetteville  on  the  llth  of  March, 
skirmishing  with  Wade  Hampton's  cavalry,  that  covered 
the  rear  of  Hardee's  retreating  army,  which  as  usual  had 
crossed  Cape  Fear  River,  burning  the  bridge.  During  the 
march  from  Pedee,  General  Kilpatrick  had  kept  his  cavalry 
well  on  the  left  and  exposed  flank.  During  the  night  of 
the  9th  of  March  his  three  brigades  were  divided  to  picket 
the  roads.  General  Hampton  detecting  this,  rushed  in  at 
daylight  and  gained  possession  of  the  camp  of  Colonel 
Spencer's  brigade,  and  the  house  in  which  General  Kilpat- 
rick and  Colonel  Spencer  had  their  quarters.  The  surprise 
was  complete,  but  General  Kilpatrick  quickly  succeeded  in 
rallying  his  men,  on  foot,  in  a  swamp  near  by,  and  by  a 
prompt  attack,  well  followed  up,  regained  his  artillery, 
horses,  camp,  and  every  thing  save  some  prisoners  whom 
the  enemy  carried  off,  leaving  their  dead  on  the  ground. 

The  12th,  13th,  and  14th  were  passed  at  Fayetteville, 
destroying  absolutely  the  United  States  arsenal  and  the 
vast  amount  of  machinery  which  had  formerly  belonged  to 


FKOM   SAVANNAH   TO    GOLDSBOKo'.  99 

the  Harper's  Ferry  United  States  arsenal.  Every  building 
was  knocked  down  and  burned,  and  every  piece  of  ma- 
chinery utterly  broken  up  and  ruined  by  the  First  Regi- 
ment Michigan  Engineers,  under  the  immediate  supervision 
of  Colonel  O.  M.  Poe,  chief  engineer.  Much  valuable  prop- 
erty of  great  use  to  the  enemy  was  here  destroyed  or  cast 
into  the  river. 

Up  to  this  period  I  had  perfectly  succeeded  in  interpos- 
ing my  superior  army  between  the  scattered  parts  of  the 
enemy.  But  I  was  then  aware  that  the  fragments  that  had 
left  Columbia  under  Beauregard  had  been  reinforced  by 
Cheatham's  corps  from  the  West,  and  the  garrison  of 
Augusta,  and  that  ample  time  had  been  given  to  move 
them  to  my  front  and  flank  about  Raleigh.  Hardee  had 
also  succeeded  in  getting  across  Cape  Fear  River  ahead  of 
me,  and  could  therefore  complete  the  junction  with  the 
other  armies  of  Johnston  and  Hoke  in  North  Carolina. 
And  the  whole,  under  the  command  of  the  skilful  and  ex- 
perienced Joe  Johnston,  made  up  an  army  superior  to  me 
in  cavalry,  and  formidable  enough  in  artillery  and  infantry 
to  justify  me  in  extreme  caution  in  making  the  last  step 
necessary  to  complete  the  march  I  had  undertaken. 

Previous  to  reaching  Fayetteville  I  had  dispatched  to 
Wilmington  from  Laurel  Hill  Church  two  of  our  best 
scouts  with  intelligence  of  our  position  and  my  general 
plans.  Both  of  these  messengers  reached  Wilmington,  and 
on  the  morning  of  the  12th  of  March  the  array-tug  David- 
son, Captain  Ainsworth,  reached  Fayetteville  from  Wil- 
mington, bringing  me  full  intelligence  of  events  from  the 
outer  world.  On  the  same  day  this  tug  carried  back  to 
General  Terry,  at  Wilmington,  and  General  Schofield,  at 
Newbern,  my  dispatches  to  the  effect  that  on  Wednesday, 
the  15th,  we  would  move  for  Goldsboro',  feigning  on 


100  GENERAL   SHERMAN'S    GREAT   MARCH 

Raleigh,  and  ordering  them  to  march  straight  for  Golds- 
boro',  which  I  expected  to  reach  about  the  20th.  The 
same  day  the  gunboat  Eolus,  Captain  Young,  United  States 
navy,  also  reached  Fayetteville,  and  through  her  I  con- 
tinued to  have  communication  with  Wilmington  until  the 
day  of  our  actual  departure.  While  the  work  of  destruc- 
tion was  going  on  at  Fayetteville  two  pontoon  bridges 
were  laid  across  Cape  Fear  River,  one  opposite  the  town, 
the  other  three  miles  below. 

General  Kilpatrick  was  ordered  to  move  up  the  plank- 
road  to  and  beyond  Averasboro'.  He  was  to  be  followed 
by  four  divisions  of  the  left  wing,  with  as  few  wagons  as  pos- 
sible ;  the  rest  of  the  train,  under  escort  of  the  two  remain- 
ing divisions  of  that  wing,  to  take  a  shorter  and  more 
direct  road  to  Goldsboro'.  In  like  manner  General  Howard 
was  ordered  to  send  his  trains,  under  good  escort,  well  to 
the  right,  towards  Faison's  Depot  and  Goldsboro',  and  to 
hold  four  divisions  light,  ready  to  go  to  the  aid  of  the  left 
wing  if  attacked  while  in  motion.  The  weather  continued 
very  bad,  and  the  roads  had  become  mere  quagmire. 
Almost  every  foot  of  it  had  to  be  corduroyed  to  admit  the 
passage  of  wheels.  Still,  time  was  so  important  that  punc- 
tually, according  to  order,  the  columns  moved  out  from 
Cape  Fear  River  on  Wednesday,  the  15th  of  March.  I 
accompanied  General  Slocum,  who,  preceded  by  Kilpatrick's 
cavalry,  moved  up  the  river  or  plank-road  that  day  to 
Kyle's  Landing,  Kilpatrick  skirmishing  heavily  with  the 
enemy's  rear-guard  about  three  miles  beyond,  near  Taylor's 
Hole  Creek.  At  General  Kilpatrick's  request,  General 
Slocum  sent  forward  a  brigade  of  infantry  to  hold  a  line  of 
barricades. 

Next  morning  the  column  advanced  in  the  same  order, 
and  developed  the  enemy,  with  artillery,  infantry,  and 


FKOM   SAVANNAH   TO   GOLDSBOEo'.  101 

cavalry,  in  an  intrenched  position  in  front  of  the  point 
where  the  road  branches  off  towards  Goldsboro'  through 
Bentonville.  On  an  inspection  of  the  map  it  was  manifest 
that  Hardee  in  retreating  from  Fayetteville  had  halted  in 
the  narrow  swampy  neck  between  Cape  Fear  and  South 
rivers  in  the  hopes  to  hold  me,  to  save  time  for  the  con- 
centration of  Johnston's  armies  at  some  point  to  his  rear — 
namely,  Raleigh,  Smithfield,  or  Goldsboro'.  Hardee's  force 
was  estimated  at  twenty  thousand  men.  It  was  necessary 
to  dislodge  him  that  we  might  have  the  use  of  the  Golds- 
boro' road,  as  also  to  keep  up  the  feint  on  Raleigh  as  long 
as  possible.  General  Slocum  was  therefore  ordered  to 
press  and  carry  the  position,  only  difficult  by  reason  of  the 
nature  of  the  ground,  which  was  so  soft  that  horses  would 
sink  every  where, .  and  even  men  could  hardly  make  their 
way  over  the  common  pine-barren. 

The  Twentieth  Corps,  General  Williams,  had  the  lead, 
and  Ward's  division  the  advance.  This  was  deployed,  and 
the  skirmish  line  developed  the  position  of  a  brigade  of 
Charleston  heavy  artillery,  armed  as  infantry  (Rhett's), 
posted  across  the  road  behind  a  light  parapet,  with  a  bat- 
tery of  guns  enfilading  the  approach  across  a  cleared  field. 
General  Williams  sent  a,  brigade  (Case's)  by  a  circuit  to 
his 'left  that  turned  this  line,  and,  by  a  quick  charge,  broke 
the  brigade,  which  rapidly  retreated  back  to  a  second  line 
better  built  and  more  strongly  held.  A  battery  of  artillery 
(Wenninger's)  well-posted,  under  the  immediate  direction 
of  Major  Reynolds,  chief  of  artillery  of  the  Twentieth 
Corps,  did  good  execution  on  the  retreating  brigade ;  and, 
on  advancing  Ward's  division  over  this  ground,  General 
Williams  captured  three  guns  and  two  hundred  and  seven- 
teen prisoners,  of  which  sixty -eight  were  wounded,  and  left 
in  a  house  near  by  with  a. rebel  officer,  four  men,  and  five 


102  GENERAL   SHERMAN^    GREAT   MARCH 

days'  rations.  One  hundred  and  eight  rebel  dead  were 
buried  by  us.  As  Ward's  division  advanced,  he  developed 
a  second  and  a  stronger  line,  when  Jackson's  division  was 
deployed  forward  on  the  right  of  Ward,  and  the  two  di- 
visions of  Jen0.  C.  Davis's  (Fourteenth)  corps  on  the  left, 
well  towards  the  Cape  Fear.  At  the  same  time  Kilpatrick, 
who  was  acting  in  concert  with  General  Williams,  was  or- 
dered to  draw  back  his  cavalry  and  mass  it  on  the  extreme 
right,  and  in  concert  with  Jackson's  right,  to  feel  forward 
for  the  Goldsboro'  road.  He  got  a  brigade  on  the  road, 
but  it  was  attacked  by  McLaws'  rebel  division  furiously, 
and  though  it  fought  well  and  hard,  the  brigade  drew  back 
to  the  flank  of  the  infantry.  The  whole  line  advanced  late 
in  the  afternoon,  drove  the  enemy  well  within  his  intrenched 
line,  and  pressed  him  so  hard,  that  next  morning  he  was 
gone,  having  retreated  in  a  miserable  stormy  night  over 
the  worst  of  roads.  Ward's  division  of  infantry  followed 
to  and  through  Averasboro',  developing  the  fact  that  Har- 
dee  had  retreated,  not  on  Raleigh,  but  on  Smithfield.  I 
had  the  night  before  directed  Kilpatrick  to  cross  South 
River  at  a  mill-darn  to  our  right  and  rear,  and  move  up  on 
the  east  side  towards  Elevation.  General  Slocum  reperts 
his  aggregate  loss  in  the  affair  known  as  that  of  Averas- 
boro', at  twelve  officers  and  sixty-five  men  killed,  and  four 
hundred  and  seventy-seven  wounded.  We  lost  no  prison- 
ers. The  enemy's  loss  can  be  inferred  from  his  dead  (one 
hundred  and  eight)  left  for  us  to  bury.  '  Leaving  Ward's 
division  to  keep  up  a  show  of  pursuit,  Slocum's  column  was 
turned  to  the  right,  built  a  bridge  across  the  swollen  South 
River,  and  took  the  Goldsboro'  road,  Kilpatrick  crossing 
to  the  north,  in  the  direction  of  Elevation,  with  orders  to 
move  eastward,  watching  that  flank.  In  the  mean  time  the 
wagon-trains  and  guards,  as  also  Howard's  column,  were 


FROM   SAVANNAH   TO   GOLDSBORo'.  103 

wallowing  along  the  miry  roads  towards  Bentonville  and 
Goldsboro'.  The  enemy's  infantry,  as  before  stated,  had 
retreated  across  our  front  in  the  same  direction,  burning 
the  bridges  across  Mill  Creek.  I  continued  with  the  head 
of  Slocum's  column,  and  camped  the  night  of  the  18th  with 
him  on  the  Goldsboro'  road,  twenty-seven  miles  from 
Goldsboro',  about  five  miles  from  Bentonville,  and  where 
the  road  from  Clinton  to  Smithfield  crosses  the  Goldsboro' 
road.  Howard  was  at  Lee's  Store,  only  two  miles  south, 
and  both  columns  had  pickets  three  miles  forward,  to  where 
the  two  roads  came  together  and  became  common  to  Golds- 
boro'. 

All  the  signs  induced  me  to  believe  that  the  enemy 
would  make  no  further  opposition  to  our  progress,  and 
would  not  attempt  to  strike  us  in  flank  while  in  motion. 
I  therefore  directed  Howard  to  move  his  right  wing  by 
the  new  Goldsboro'  road,  which  goes  by  way  of  Falling 
Creek  Church.  I  also  left  Slocum  and  joined  Howard's 
column,  with  a  view  to  open  communications  with  General 
Schofield,  coming  up  from  Newbern,  and  Terry,  from  Wil- 
mington. I  found  General  Howard's  column  well  strung 
out,  owing  to  the  very  bad  roads,  and  did  not  overtake 
him  in  person  till  he  had  reached  Falling  Creek  Church, 
with  one  regiment  forward  to  the  cross-roads  near  Cox's 
Bridge  across  the  Neuse.  I  had  gone  from  General  Slo- 
cum about  six  miles,  when  I  heard  artillery  in  his  direc- 
tion, but  was  soon  made  easy  by  one  of  his  staff-officers 
overtaking  me,  explaining  that  his  leading  division  (Car- 
lin's)  had  encountered  a  division  of  rebel  cavalry  (Dib- 
brell's),  which  he  was  driving  easily.  But  soon  other  staff- 
officers  came  up,  reporting  that  he  had  developed  near 
Bentonville  the  whole  of  the  rebel  army,  under  General 
Johnston  himself.  I  sent  him  orders  to  call  up  the  two 


104       GKNEKAL  BHEBMAN*8  GREAT  "MAECH 

divisions  guarding  his  wagon-trains,  and  Hazen's  division 
of  the  Fifteenth  Corps,  still  back  near  Lee's  Store,  to  fight 
defensively  until  I  could  draw  up  Blair's  corps,  then  near 
Mount  Olive  Station,  and  with  the  remaining  three  di- 
visions of  the  Fifteenth  Corps  come  up  on  Johnston's  left 
rear  from  the  direction  of  Cox's  Bridge.  In  the  mean  time, 
while  on  the  road,  I  received  couriers  from  both  Generals 
Schofield  and  Terry.  The  former  reported  himself  in  pos- 
session of  Kinston,  delayed  somewhat  by  want  of  pro- 
visions, but  able  to  march  so  as  to  make  Goldsboro'  on  the 
21st;  and  Terry  was  at  or  near  Faison's  Depot.  Orders 
were  at  once  dispatched  to  Schofield  to  push  for  Golds- 
boro, and  to  make  dispositions  to  cross  Little  River  in  the 
direction  of  Smithfield  as  far  as  Millard ;  to  General  Terry 
to  move  to  Cox's  Bridge,  lay  a  pontoon  bridge,  and  es- 
tablish a  crossing;  and  to  Blair  to  make  a  night  march  to 
Falling  Creek  Church  ;  and  at  daylight  the  right  wing, 
General  Howard,  less  the  necessary  wagon  guards,  was 
put  in  rapid  motion  on  Bentonville.  By  subsequent  re- 
ports I  learned  that  General  Slocum's  head  of  column  had 
advanced  from  its  camp  of  March  18,  and  first  encountered 
Dibbrell's  cavalry,  but  soon  found  his  progress  impeded  by 
infantry  and  artillery.  The  enemy  attacked  his  head  of 
column,  gaining  a  temporary  advantage,  and  took  three 
guns  and  caissons  of  General  Carlin's  division,  driving  the 
two  leading  brigades  back  on  the  main  body.  As  soon  as 
General  Slocum  realized  that  he  had  in  his  front  the  whole 
Confederate  army,  he  promptly  deployed  the  two  divisions 
of  the  Fourteenth  Corps,  General  Davis,  and  rapidly 
brought  up  on  their  left  the  two  divisions  of  the  Twentieth 
Corps,  General  Williams.  These  he  arranged  on  the  de- 
fensive, and  hastily  prepared  a  line  of  barricades.  General 
Kilpatrick  also  came  up  at  the  sound  of  artillery  and 


FROM   SAVANNAH    TO    GOLDSBOEO'.  105 

massed  on  the  left.  In  this  position  the  left  received  six 
distinct  assaults  by  the  combined  forces  of  Hoke,  Hardee, 
and  Cheatham,  under  the  immediate  command  of  General 
Johnston  himself,  without  giving  an  inch  of  ground,  and 
doing  good  execution  on  the  enemy's  ranks,  especially  with 
our  artillery,  the  enemy  having  little  or  none. 

Johnston  had  moved  by  night  from  Smithfield  with 
great  rapidity,  and  without  unnecessary  wheels,  intending 
to  overwhelm  my  left  flank  before  it  could  be  relieved  by 
its  co-operating  columns.  But  he  "  reckoned  without  his 
host."  I  had  expected  just  such  a  movement  all  the  way 
from  Fayetteville,  and  was  prepared  for  it.  During  the 
night  of  the  19th  General  Slocum  got  up  his  wagon-train 
with  its  guard  of  two  divisions,  and  Hazen's  division  of  the 
Fifteenth  Corps,  which  reinforcement  enabled  him  to  make 
his  position  impregnable.  The  right  wing  found  rebel 
cavalry  watching  his  approach,  but  unable  to  offer  any 
serious  opposition  until  our  head  of  column  encountered  a 
considerable  body  behind  a  barricade  at  the  forks  of  the 
road  near  Bentonville,  about  three  miles  east  of  the  battle- 
field of  the  day  before.  This  body  of  cavalry  was,  how- 
ever, quickly  dislodged,  and  the  intersection  of  the  roads 
secured.  On  moving  forward  the  Fifteenth  Corps,  General 
Logan  found  that  the  enemy  had  thrown  back  his  left 
flank,  and  had  constructed  a  line  of  parapet  connecting 
with  that  towards  General  Slocum,  in  the  form  of  a  bastion, 
its  salient  on  the  main  Goldsboro'  road,  interposing 
between  General  Slocum  on  the  west  and  General  Howard 
on  the  east,  while  the  flanks  rested  on  Mill  Creek,  covering 
the  road  back  to  Smithfield.  General  Howard  was  in- 
structed tg  proceed  with  due  caution  until  he  had  made 
strong  connection  on  his  left  with  General  Slocum.  This 
he  soon  accomplished,  and  by  4  p.  M.  of  the  20th  a  com- 

5* 


106  GEifEEAL  SHERMAN'S  GREAT  MAJSOH 

plete  and  strong  line  of  battle  confronted  the  enemy  in  his 
intrenched  position,  and  General  Johnston,  instead  of 
catching  us  in  detail,  was  on  the  defensive,  with  Mill  Creek 
and  a  single  bridge  to  his  rear.  Nevertheless,  we  had  no 
object  to  accomplish  by  a  battle,  unless  at  an  advantage, 
and  therefore  my  general  instructions  were  to  press 
steadily  with  skirmishers  alone,  to  use  artillery  pretty 
freely  on  the  wooded  space  held  by  the  enemy,  and  to  feel 
pretty  strongly  the  flanks  of  his  position,  which  were  as 
usual  covered  by  the  endless  swamps  of  this  region  of 
country.  I  also  ordered  all  empty  wagons  to  be  sent  at 
once  to  Kinston  for  supplies,  and  other  impediments  to  be 
grouped  near  the  Neuse,  south  of  Goldsboro',  holding  the 
real  army  in  close  contact  with  the  enemy,  ready  to  fight 
him  if  he  ventured  outside  his  parapets  and  swampy  obstruc- 
tions. Thus  matters  stood  about  Bentonville  on  the  21st 
of  March.  On  the  same  day  General  Schofield  entered 
Goldsboro'  with  little  or  no  opposition,  and  General  Terry 
had  got  possession  of  the  Neuse  River  at  Cox's  Bridge,  ten 
miles  above,  with  a  pontoon  bridge  laid  and  a  brigade 
across,  so  that  the  three  armies  were  in  actual  connection, 
and  the  great  object  of  the  campaign  was  accomplished. 
On  the  21st  a  steady  rain  prevailed,  during  which  Gen- 
eral Mower's  division  of  the  Seventeenth  Corps,  on  the 
extreme  right,  had  worked  well  to  the  right  around  the 
enemy's  flank,  and  had  nearly  reached  the  bridge  across 
Mill  Creek,  the  only  line  of  retreat  open  to  the  enemy.  Of 
course  there  was  extreme  danger  that  the  enemy  would 
turn  on  him  all  his  reserves,  and,  it  might  be,  let  go  his  pai'- 
apets  to  overwhelm  Mower.  Accordingly  I  ordered  at 
once  a  general  attack  by  our  skirmish-line  from  left  to 
right.  Quite  a  noisy  battle  ensued,  during  which  General 
Mower  was  enabled  to  regain  his  connection  with  his  own 


FROM   SAVANNAH   TO    GOLDSBORo'.  107 

corps  by  moving  to  his  left  rear.  Still  he  had  developed  a 
weakness  in  the  enemy's  position,  of  which  advantage 
might  have  been  taken  ;  but  that  night  the  enemy  retreat- 
ed on  Smithfield,  leaving  his  pickets  to  fall  into  our  hands, 
with  many  dead  unburied,  and  wounded  in  his  field-hospi- 
tals. At  daybreak  of  the  22d,  pursuit  was  made  two  miles 
beyond  Mill  Creek,  but  checked  by  my  order.  General 
Johnston  had  utterly  failed  in  his  attempt,  and  we 
remained  in  full  possession  of  the  field  of  battle. 

General  Slocum  reports  the  losses  of  the  left  wing  about 
Bentonville  at  9  officers  and  145  men  killed,  51  officers  and 
816  men  wounded,  and  3  officers  and  223  men  missing, 
taken  prisoners  by  the  enemy ;  total,  1,247.  He  buried  on 
the  field  167  rebel  dead,  and  took  338  prisoners.  General 
Howard  reports  the  losses  of  the  right  wing  at  2  officers 
and  35  men  killed,  12  officers  and  239  men  wounded,  and 
1  officer  and  60  men  missing;  total,  399.  He  also  buried 
100  rebel  dead,  and  took  1,287  prisoners.  The  cavalry  of 
Kilpatrick  was  held  in  reserve,  and  lost  but  few,  if  any,  of 
which  I  have  no  report  as  yet.  Our  aggregate  loss  at 
Bentonville  was  1,643.  I  am  well  satisfied  that  the  enemy 
lost  heavily,  especially  during  his  assaults  on  the  left  wing 
during  the  afternoon  of  the  19th  ;  but  as  I  have  no  data 
save  his  dead  and  wounded  left  in  our  hands,  I  prefer  to 
make  no  comparisons.  Thus,  as  I  have  endeavored  to 
explain,  we  had  completed  our  march  on  the  21st,  and  had 
full  possession  of  Goldsboro',  the  real  "  objective,"  with  its 
two  railroads  back  to  the  seaports  of  Wilmington  and 
Beaufort,  North  Carolina.  These  were  •  being  rapidly 
repaired  by  strong  working-parties  directed  by  Colonel 
W.  W.  Wright,  of  the  railroad  department.  A  large 
number  of  supplies  had  already  been  brought  forward  to 
Kinston,  to  which  place  our  wagons  had  been  sent  to 


108       GENERAL  SHERMAN'S  GREAT  MARCH 

receive  them.  I  therefore  directed  General  Howard  and 
the  cavalry  to  remain  at  Bentonville,  during  the  22d,  to 
bury  the  dead  and  remove  the  wounded,  and  on  the  fol- 
lowing day  all  the  armies  to  move  to  the  camps  assigned 
them  about  Goldsboro',  there  to  rest  and  receive  the  cloth- 
ing and  supplies  of  which  they  stood  in  need.  In  person  I 
went  on  the  23d  to  Cox's  Bridge  to  meet  General  Terry, 
whom  I  met  for  the  first  time,  and  on  the  following  day 
rode  into  Goldsboro',  where  I  found  General  Schofield  and 
his  army.  The  left  wing  came  in  during  the  same  day  and 
next  morning,  and  the  right  wing  followed  on  the  24tb,  on 
which  day  the  cavalry  moved  to  Mount  Olive  Station,  and 
General  Terry  back  to  Faison's.  On  the  25th,  the  New- 
bern  Railroad  was  finished,  and  the  first  train  of  cars  came 
in,  thus  giving  us  the  means  of  bringing  from  the  depot  at 
Morehead  City  full  supplies  to  the  army. 

It  was  all-important  that  I  should  have  an  interview  with 
the  general-in-chief,  and  presuming  that  he  could  not  at 
this  time  leave  City  Point,  I  left  General  Schofield  in  chief 
command,  and  proceeded  with  all  expedition  by  rail  to 
Morehead  City,  and  thence  by  steamer  to  City  Point, 
reaching  General  Grant's  headquarters  on  the  evening  of 
the  27th  of  March.  I  had  the  good  fortune  to  meet  Gen- 
eral Grant,  the  President,  Generals  Meade,  Ord,  and 
others  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  soon  learned  the 
general  state  of  the  military  world,  from  which  I  had  been 
in  a  great  measure  cut  off  since  January.  Having  com- 
pleted all  necessary  business,  I  re-embarked  on  the  navy 
steamer  Bat,  Captain  Barnes,  which  Admiral  Porter  placed 
at  my  command,  and  returned  via  Hatteras  Inlet  and 
Newbern,  reaching  my  own  headquarters  in  Goldsboro' 
during  the  night  of  the  30th.  During  my  absence  full 
supplies  of  clothing  and  food  had  been  brought  to  camp, 


FROM   SAVANNAH   TO    GOLDSBOKo'.  109 

and  all  things  were  working  well.  I  have  thus  rapidly 
sketched  the  progress  of  our  columns  from  Savannah  to 
Goldsboro',  but  for  more  minute  details  must  refer  to  the 
reports  of  subordinate  commanders  and  of  staff-officers, 
which  are  not  yet  ready,  but  will  in  due  season  be  for- 
warded and  filed  with  this  report.  I  cannot  even,  with 
any  degree  of  precision,  recapitulate  the  vast  amount  of 
injury  done  to  the  enemy,  or  the  quantity  of  guns  and 
materials  of  war  captured  and  destroyed.  In  general 
terms,  we  have  traversed  the  country  from  Savannah  to 
Goldsboro',  with  an  average  breadth  of  forty  miles,  con- 
suming all  the  forage,  cattle,  hogs,  sheep,  poultry,  cured 
meats,  corn-meal,  etc.  The  public  enemy,  instead  of  draw- 
ing supplies  from  that  region  to  feed  his  armies,  will  be 
compelled  to  send  provisions  from  other  quarters  to  feed 
the  inhabitants.  A  map  herewith,  prepared  by  my  chief 
engineer,  Colonel  Poe,  with  the  routes  of  the  Fourth 
Corps  and  cavalry,  will  show  at  a  glance  the  country  trav- 
ersed. Of  course  the  abandonment  to  us  by  the  enemy 
of  the  whole  seacoast,  from  Savannah  to  Newbern,  North 
Carolina,  with  its  forts,  dock-yards,  gunboats,  etc.,  was  a 
necessary  incident  to  our  occupation  and  destruction  of  the 
inland  routes  of  travel  and  supply.  But  the  real  object  of 
this  march  was  to  place  this  army  in  a  position  easy  of 
supply,  whence  it  could  take  an  appropriate  part  in  the 
spring  and  summer  campaign  of  1865.  This  was  com- 
pletely accomplished  on  March  21st  by  the  junction  of  the 
three  armies  and  occupation  of  Goldsboro'. 

In  conclusion,  I  beg  to  express  in  the  most  emphatic 
manner  my  entire  satisfaction  with  the  tone  and  temper  of 
the  whole  army.  Nothing  seems  to  dampen  their  energy, 
zeal,  or  cheerfulness.  It  is  impossible  to  conceive  a  march 
involving  more  labor  and  exposure,  yet  I  cannot  recall  an 


110  GENERAL   SHERMAN?S    GREAT   MARCH. 

instance  of  bad  temper  by  the  way,  or  hearing  an  expres- 
sion of  doubt  as  to  our  perfect  success  in  the  end.  I  be- 
lieve that  this  cheerfulness  and  harmony  of  action  reflects 
upon  all  concerned  quite  as  much  real  honor  and  fame  as 
"  battles  gained"  or  "  cities  won,"  and  I  therefore  com- 
mend all,  general,  staff,  officers,  and  men,  for  these  high 
qualities,  in  addition  to  the  more  soldierly  ones  of  obedi- 
ence to  orders  and  the  alacrity  they  have  always  manifest- 
ed when  danger  summoned  them  "  to  the  front." 
I  have  the  honor  to  be,  your  obedient  servant, 

W.  T.  SHERMAN, 
Major-General  commanding. 
Major-General  H.  W.  HALLECK, 

Chief  of  Staff,  Washington,  D.  C 


THE   CLOSE  OF   THE   CAMPAIGN.  Ill 


IV. 


THE  CLOSE  OF  THE  CAMPAIGN, 

AND   THE  SURRENDER  OF  THE  CONFEDERATE  FORCES  UNDER 
GENERAL   JOSEPH   E.  JOHNSTON; 

With  General  Sherman's  Farewell  Address  to  his 
Army. 


HEADQUARTERS  MILITARY  DIVISION  or  THE  MISSISSIPPI, 
In  the  Field,  City  Point,  Va.,  May  9,  1865. 

GENERAL — My  last  official  report  brought  the  history  of 
events,  as  connected  with  the  armies  in  the  field  subject  to 
ray  immediate  command,  down  to  the  1st  of  April,  when 
the  Army  of  the  Ohio,  Major-General  J.  M.  Schofield  com- 
manding, lay  at  Goldsboro',  with  detachments  distributed 
so  as  to  secure  and  cover  our  routes  of  communication  and 
supply  back  to  the  sea  at  Wilmington  and  Morehead  City ; 
Major- General  A.  H.  Terry,  with  the  Tenth  Corps,  being 
at  Faison's  Depot.  The  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  Major- 
General  O.  O.  Howard  commanding,  was  encamped  to  the 
right  and  front  of  Goldsboro',  and  the  Army  of  Georgia, 
Major-General  H.  W.  Slocum  commanding,  to  its  left  and  . 
front ;  the  cavalry,  brevet  Major-General  J.  Kilpatrick 
commanding,  at  Mount  Olive.  All  were  busy  in  repairing 
the  wear  and  tear  of  our  then  recent  and  hard  march  from 
Savannah,  or  in  replenishing  clothing  and  stores  necessary 
for  a  further  progress. 


112  GENERAL    SHERMAN *S    GKEAT   MARCH. 

I  had  previously,  by  letter  and  in  person,  notified  the 
lieutenant-general  commanding  the  armies  of  the  United 
States,  that  the  10th  of  April  would  be  the  earliest  possi- 
ble moment  at  which  I  could  hope  to  have  all  things  in 
readiness,  and  we  were  compelled  to  use  our  railroads  to 
the  very  highest  possible  limit  in  order  to  fulfil  that 
promise.  Owing  to  a  mistake  in  the  railroad  department, 
in  sending  locomotives  and  cars  of  the  five-foot  gauge,  we 
were  limited  to  the  use  of  a  few  locomotives  and  cars  of 
the  four-foot  eight-and-a-half-inch  gauge  already  in  North 
Carolina,  with  such  of  the  old  stock  as  was  captured  by 
Major-General  Terry  at  Wilmington,  and  on  his  way  up 
to  Goldsboro'.  Yet  such  judicious  use  was  made  of  these, 
and  such  industry  displayed  in  the  railroad  management 
by  Generals  Eaton  and  Beckwith,  and  Colonel  Wright  and 
Mr.  Van  Dyne,  that  by  the  10th  of  April  our  men  were 
all  reclad,  the  wagons  reloaded,  and  a  fair  amout  of  forage 
accumulated  ahead. 

In  the  mean  time,  Major-General  George  Stoneman,  in 
command  of  a  division  of  cavalry,  operating  from  East 
Tennessee  in  connection  with  Major-General  George  H. 
Thomas,  in  pursuance  of  my  orders  of  January  21,  1865, 
had  reached  the  railroad  about  Greensboro',  North  Carolina, 
and  had  made  sad  havoc  with  it,  and  had  pushed  along  it 
to  Salisbury,  destroying  en  route  bridges,  culverts,  depot?, 
and  all  kinds  of  rebel  supplies;  and  had  extended  the 
break  in  the  railroad  down  to  the  Catawba  Bridge. 

This  was  fatal  to  the  hostile  armies  of  Lee  and  Johnston, 
who  depended  on  that  road  for  supplies  and  as  their  ulti- 
mate line  of  retreat.  Major-General  J.*H.  Wilson,  also  in 
command  of  the  cavalry  corps  organized  by  himself,  under- 
Special  Field  Orders,  No. ,  of  October  24,1 864,  at  Gayles- 

ville,  Alabama,  had  started  from  the  neighborhood  of  De- 


THE   CLOSE   OF   TlIK   CAMPAIGN.  113 

catur  and  Florence,  Alabama,  and  moved  straight  into  the 
heart  of  Alabama,  on  a  route  prescribed  for  General 
Thomas  after  he  had  defeated  General  Hood  at  Nashville, 
Tennessee ;  but  the  roads  being  too  heavy  for  infantry. 
General  Thomas  had  devolved  that  duty  on  that  most  ener- 
getic young  cavalry  officer,  General  Wilson,  who,  imbued 
with  the  proper  spirit,  has  struck  one  of  the  best  blows  of 
the  war  at  the  waning  strength  of  the  Confederacy.  His 
route  was  one  never  before  touched  by  our  troops,  and 
afforded  him  abundance  of  supplies  as  long  as  he  was  in  mo- 
tion, viz.,  by  Tuscaloosa,  Selma,  Montgomery,  Columbus, 
and  Macon.  Though  in  communication  with  him,  I  have 
not  been  able  to  receive  as  yet  his  full  and  detailed  reports, 
which  will  in  due  time  be  published  and  appreciated. 

Lieutenant-General  Grant,  also  in  immediate  command 
of  .the  armies  about  Richmond,  had  taken  the  initiative  in 
that  magnificent  campaign,  which  in  less  than  ten  days 
compelled  the  evacuation  of  Richmond,  and  resulted  in  the 
destruction  and  surrender  .of  the  entire  rebel  Army  of  Vir- 
ginia, under  command  of  General  Lee.  The  news  of  the 
battles  about  Petersburg  reached  me  at  Goldsboro'  on  the 
6th  of  April.  Up  to  that  time  my  purpose  was  to  move 
rapidly  northward,  feigning  on  Raleigh,  and  striking 
straight  for  Burkesville,  thereby  interposing  between 
Johnston  and  Lee.  But  the  auspicious  events  in  Vir- 
ginia had  changed  the  whole  military  problem,  and,  in  the 
expressive  language  of  Lieutenant-General  Grant,  the  Con- 
federate armies  of  Lee  and  Johnston  became  the  strategic 
points.  General  Grant  was  fully  able  to  take  care  of  the 
former,  and  my  task  was  to  capture  or  destroy  the  latter. 
Johnston  at  that  time,  April  6,  had  his  army  well  in  hand 
about  Smithfield,  interposing  between  me  and  Raleigh.  I  es- 
timated his  infantry  and  artillery  at  35,000,  and  his  cavalry 


114:  GENERAL   SHERMAN^   GREAT  MARCH. 

from  6,000  to  10,000.  He  was  superior  to  me  in  cavalry, 
so  that  I  held  General  Kilpatrick  in  reserve  at  Mount  Olive, 
with  orders  to  recruit  his  horses  and  be  ready  to  make  a 
sudden  and  rapid  march  on  the  10th  of  April. 

At  daybreak  on  the  day  appointed  all  the  heads  of 
columns  were  in  motion  straight  against  the  enemy,  Major- 
General  H.  W.  Slocum  taking  the  two  direct  roads  for 
Smithfield  ;  Major-General  O.  O.  Howard  making  a  circuit 
by  the  right,  and  feigning  up  the  Weldon  road  to  discon- 
cert the  enemy's  cavalry ;  Generals  Terry  and  Kilpatrick 
moving  on  the  west  side  of  the  Neuse  River,  and  aiming 
to  reach  the  rear  of  the  enemy  between  Smithfield  and 
Raleigh.  General  Schofield  followed  General  Slocum  in 
support.  All  the  columns  met  within  six  (6)  miles  of 
Goldsboro',  more  or  less  cavalry,  with  the  usual  rail-barri- 
cades, which  were  swept  before  us  as  chaff ;  and  by  10 
A.M.  of  the  llth  the  Fourteenth  Corps  entered  Smithfield, 
the  Twentieth  Corps  close  at  hand.  Johnston  had  rapidly 
retreated  across  the  Neuse  River,  and  having  his  railroad 
to  lighten  up  his  trains,  could  retreat  faster  than  we  could 
pursue.  The  rains  had  also  set  in,  making  the  resort  to 
corduroy  absolutely  necessary  to  pass  even  ambulances. 
The  enemy  had  burned  the  bridge  at  Smithfield,  and  as 
soon  as  possible  Major-General  Slocum  got  up  his  pontoons 
and  crossed  over  a  division  of  the  Fourteenth  Corps.  We 
there  heard  of  the  surrender  of  Lee's  army  at  Appomattox 
Court-house,  Virginia,  which  was  announced  to  the  armies 
in  orders,  and  created  universal  joy.  Not  an  officer  or 
soldier  of  my  armies  but  expressed  a  pride  and  satisfaction 
that  it  fell  to  the  lot  of  the  armies  of  the  Potomac  and 
James  so  gloriously  to  overwhelm  and  capture  the  entire 
army  that  had  held  them  so  long  in  check,  and  their  suc- 
cess gave  new  impulse  to  finish  up  our  task. 


THE   CLOSE   OF  THE   CAMPAIGN.  115 

Without  a  moment's  hesitation  we  dropped  our  trains, 
and  marched  rapidly  in  pursuit  to  and  through  Raleigh, 
reaching  that  place  at  7.30  A.  M.  on  the  13th,  in  a  heavy 
rain.  The  next  day  the  cavalry  pushed  on  through  the 
rain  to  Durham's  Station,  the  Fifteenth  Corps  following  as 
far  as  Morrisville  Station,  and  the  Seventeenth  Corps  to 
Jones's  Station.  On  the  supposition  that  Johnston  was  tied 
to  his  railroad,  as  a  line  of  retreat  by  Hillsboro',  Greeu- 
boro',  Salisbury,  and  Charlotte,  etc.,  I  had  turned  the  other 
columns  across  the  bend  in  that  road  towards  Ashboro'. 
(See  Special  Field  Orders,  No.  55.)  The  cavalry,  brevet 
Major-General  J.  Kilpatrick  commanding,  was  ordered  to 
keep  up  a  show  of  pursuit  towards  the  "  Company's  Shops" 
in  Alamance  County ;  Major-General  O.  O.  Howard  to 
turn  to  the  left  by  Hackney's  Cross-roads,  Pittsboro',  St. 
Lawrence,  and  Ashboro' ;  Major-General  H.  W.  Slocum 
to  cross  Cape  Fear  River  at  Avon's  Ferry,  and  move 
rapidly  by  Carthage,  Caledonia,  and  Cox's  mills.  Major- 
General  J.  M.  Schofield  was  to  hold  Raleigh,  and  the  road 
back,  and  with  his  spare  force  to  follow  an  intermediate  route. 

By  the  15th,  though  the  rains  were  incessant  and  the 
roads  almost  impracticable,  Major-General  Slocum  had  the 
Fourteenth  Corps,  brevet  Major-General  Davis  command- 
ing, near  Martha's  Vineyard,  with  a  pontoon  bridge  laid 
across  Cape  Fear  River  at  Avon's  Ferry,  with  the  Twen- 
tieth Corps,  Major-General  Mower  commanding,  in  sup- 
port ;  and  Major-General  Howard  had  the  Fifteenth  and 
Seventeenth  Corps  stretched  out  on  the  roads  towards 
Pittsboro' ;  while  General  Kilpatrick  held  Durham's  Station 
and  Chapel  Hill  University.  Johnston's  army  was  retreat- 
ing rapidly  on  the  roads  from  Hillsboro'  to  Greensboro', 
he  himself  at  Greensboro'. 

Although  out  of  place  as  to  time.  I  here  invite  all  mili- 


116  GENERAL   SHERMAN^   GREAT   MARCH. 

tary  critics,  who  study  the  problems  of  war,  to  take  their 
maps  and  compare  the  position  of  my  army  on  the  15th 
and  16th  of  April  with  that  of  General  Halleck  about 
Burkesville  and  Petersburg,  Virginia,  on  the  26th  of  April, 
when,  according  to  his  telegram  to  Secretary  Stanton,*  he 
offered  to  relieve  me  of  the  task  of  cutting  off  Johnston's 
retreat.  Major-General  Stoneman  at  the  time  was  at  States- 
ville,  and  Johnston's  only  line  of  retreat  was  by  Salisbury 
and  Charlotte.  It  may  be  that  General  Halleck's  troops 
can  outmarch  mine,  but  there  is  nothing  in  their  past  his- 
tory to  show  it.  Or  it  may  be  that  General  Halleck  can 
inspire  his  troops  with  more  energy  of  action.  I  doubt 
that  also,  save  and  except  in  this  single  instance,  when  he 
knew  the  enemy  was  ready  to  surrender  or  "  disperse,"  as 
advised  by  my  letter  of  April  18,  addressed  to  him  when  chief 
of  staff  at  Washington  city,  and  delivered  at  Washington 
on  the  21st  instant  by  Major  Hitchcock  of  my  staff. 

Thus  matters  stood  at  the  time  I  received  General 
Johnston's  first  letter  and  made  my  answer  of  April  14, 
copies  of  which  were  sent  with  all  expedition  to  Lieutenant- 
General  Grant  and  the  Secretary  of  War,  with  my  letter 
of  April  15. f  I  agreed  to  meet  General  Johnston  in  person, 
at  a  point  intermediate  between  our  pickets,  on  the  17th, 
at  noon,  provided  the  position  of  the  troops  remained  in 
statu  quo.  I  was  both  willing  and  anxious  thus  to  consume  a 
few  days,  as  it  would  enable  Colonel  Wright  to  finish  our 
railroad  to  Raleigh.  Two  bridges  had  to  be  built  and 
twelve  miles  of  new  road  made.  We  had  no  iron,  except 
by  taking  up  that  on  the  branch  from  Goldsboro'  to  Wei- 


*  This  dispatch  will  be  found  in  the  concluding  chapter  of  the 
present  work. 

f  The  correspondence  appears  in  full  on  page  137,  et  seq. 


THE   CLOSE   OF   THE   CAMPAIGN.  117 

don.  Instead  of  losing  by  time,  I  gained  in  every  way, 
for  every  hour  of  delay  possible  was  required  to  recon- 
struct the  railroad  to  our  rear,  and  improve  the  condition 
of  our  wagon-roads  to  the  front,  so  desirable  in  case  the  ne- 
gotiations failed,  and  we  be  forced  to  make  the  race  of 
near  two  hundred  miles  to  head  off  or  catch  Johnston's 
army,  then  retreating  towards  Charlotte. 

At  noon  of  the  day  appointed  I  met  General  Johnston 
for  the  first  time  in  my  life,  although  we  had  been  exchang- 
ing shots  constantly  since  May,  1863.  Our  interview  was 
frank  and  soldier-like,  and  he  gave  me  to  understand  that 
further  war  on  the  part  of  the  Confederate  troops  was 
folly  ;  that  the  "  cause"  was  lost,  and  that  every  life  sacri- 
ficed after  the  surrender  of  Lee's  army  was  the  highest 
possible  crime.  He  admitted  that  the  terms  conceded  to  Gen- 
eral Lee  were  magnanimous,  and  all  he  could  ask ;  but  he 
did  want  some  general  concessions  that  would  enable  him 
to  allay  the  natural  fears  and  anxieties  of  his  followers, 
and  enable  him  to  maintain  his  control  over  them  until 
they  could  be  got  back  to  the  neighborhood  of  their 
homes,  thereby  saving  the  State  of  North  Carolina  the  de- 
vastation inevitably  to  result  from  turning  his  men  loose  and- 
nnprovided  on  the  spot,  "and  our  pursuit  across  the  State. 

He  also  wanted  to  embrace  in  the  same  general  proposi- 
tion the  fate  of  all  the  Confederate  armies  that  remained 
in  existence.  I  never  made  any  concession  as  to  his  own 
army,  or  assumed  to  deal  finally  and  authoritatively  in  re- 
gard to  any  other ;  but  it  did  seem  to  me  that  there  was 
presented  a  chance  for  peace  that  might  be  deemed  valu- 
able to  the  Government  of  the  United  States,  and  was  at 
least  worth  the  few  days  that  would  be  consumed  in 
reference. 

To  push  an  enemy  whose  commander  had  so  frankly  and 


118  GENERAL   SHERMAN^    GREAT   MARCH. 

honestly   confessed   his  inability  to   cope  with  me,  were 
cowardly,  and  unworthy  the  brave  men  I  led. 

Inasmuch  as  General  Johnston  did  not  feel  authorized  to 
pledge  his  power  over  the  armies  in  Texas,  we  adjourned 
to  meet  the  next  day  at  noon.  I  returned  to  Raleigh,  and 
conferred  freely  with  all  my  general  officers,  every  one  o 
whom  urged  me  to  conclude  terms  that  might  accomplish 
so  complete  and  desirable  an  end.  All  dreaded  the  weary 
and  laborious  march  after  a  fugitive  and  dissolving  army 
back  towards  Georgia,  almost  over  the  very  country  where 
we  had  toiled  so  long.  There  was  but  one  opinion  ex- 
pressed, and  if  contrary  ones  were  entertained  they  were 
withheld,  or  indulged  in  only  by  that  class  who  shun  the 
fight  and  the  march,  but  are  loudest,  bravest,  and  fiercest 
when  danger  is  past. 

I  again  met  General  Johnston  on  the  18th,  and  we  re- 
newed the  conversation.  He  satisfied  me  then  of  his  power 
to  disband  the  rebel  armies  in  Alabama,  Mississippi,  Louisi- 
ana, and  Texas,  as  well  as  those  in  his  immediate  command, 
viz.,  North  Carolina,  South  Carolina,  Florida,  and  Georgia. 
The  points  on  which  he  expressed  especial  solicitude  were 
lest  their  States  were  to  be  dismembered  and  denied  repre- 
sentation in  Congress,  or  any  separate  political  existence 
whatever ;  and  that  the  absolute  disarming  his  men  would 
leave  the  South  powerless  and  exposed  to  depredations  by 
wicked  bands  of  assassins  and  robbers. 

President  Lincoln's  message  of  1864 ;  his  amnesty  procla- 
mation ;  General  Grant's  terms  to  General  Lee,  substantially 
extending  the  benefits  of  that  proclamation  to  all  officers 
above  the  rank  of  colonel ;  the  invitation  to  the  Virginia  Le- 
gislature to  reassemble  in  Richmond,  by  General  Weitzel,* 

*  Given  at  the  end  of  this  volume 


THE   CLOSE   OF   THE   CAMPAIGN.  119 

with  the  approval  of  Mr.  Lincoln  and  General  Grant, 
then  on  the  spot ;  a  firm  belief  that  I  had  been  fighting  to 
re-establish  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  ;  and  last, 
and  not  least,  the  general  and  universal  desire  to  close  a 
war  any  longer  without  organized  resistance,  were  the  lead- 
ing facts  that  induced  me  to  pen  the  "  memorandum"  of 
April  1 8,  signed  by  myself  and  General  Johnston.  It  was 
designed  to  be,  and  so  expressed  on  its  face,  as  a  mere 
"  basis"  for  reference  to  the  President  of  the  United  States 
and  constitutional  commander-in-chief,  to  enable  him,  if 
he  chose,  at  one  blow  to  dissipate  the  military  power  of 
the  Confederacy,  which  had  threatened  the  national  safety 
for  years.  It  admitted  of  modification,  alteration,  and 
change.  It  had  no  appearance  of  an  ultimatum,  and  by  no 
false  reasoning  can  it  be  construed  into  a  usurpation  of 
power  on  my  part.  I  have  my  opinions  on  the  question  in- 
volved, and  will  stand  by  the  memorandum.  "  But  this 
forms  no  part  of  a  military  report." 

Immediately  on  my  return  to  Raleigh  I  dispatched  one 
of  my  staff,  Major  Hitchcock,  to  Washington,  enjoining 
him  to  be  most  prudent,  and  careful  to  avoid  the  spies  and 
informers  that  would  be  sure  to  infest  him  by  the  way, 
and  to  say  nothing  to  anybody  until  the  President  could 
make  known  to  me  his  wishes  and  policy  in  the  matter. 

The  news  of  President  Lincoln's  assassination,  on  the 
14th  of  April  (wrongly  reported  to  me  by  telegraph  as 
having  occurred  on  the  llth),  reached  me  on  the  17th,  and 
was  announced  to  my  command  on  the  same  day,  in 
Special  Field  Orders,  No.  56.  I  was  duly  impressed  with 
its  horrible  atrocity  and  probable  effect  on  the  country. 
But  when  the  property  and  interests  of  millions  still  living 
were  involved,  I  saw  no  good  reason  to  change  my  course, 
but  thought  rather  to  manifest  real  respect  for  his  memory 


120  GKNKKAL    BHKBUAN'g    GREAT    MAKCU. 

by  following,  after  his  death,  that  policy  which,  if  living, 
I  feel  certain  he  would  have  approved,  or  at  least  not  re- 
jected with  disdain. 

Up  to  that  hour  I  had  never  received  one  word  of  in- 
struction, advice,  or  counsel,  as  to  the  plan  or  policy  of 
Government,  looking  to  a  restoration  of  peace  on  the  part 
of  the  rebel  States  of  the  South.  Whenever  asked  for  an 
opinion  on  the  points  involved,  I  had  always  evaded  the 
subject.  My  letter  to  the  Mayor  of  Atlanta  has  been  pub- 
lished to  the  world,  and  I  was  not  rebuked  by  the  War 
Department  for  it. 

My  letter  to  Mr.  N W ,  at  Savannah,  was 

shown  by  me  to  Mr.  Stanton,  before  its  publication,  and 
all  that  my  memory  retains  of  his  answer  is  that  he  said, 
like  my  letters  generally,  it  was  sufficiently  emphatic  and 
could  not  be  misunderstood. 

But  these  letters  asserted  my  belief  that  according  to 
Mr.  Lincoln's  proclamations  and  messages,  when  the  people 
of  the  South  had  laid  down  their  arms  and  submitted  to 
the  lawful  power  of  the  United  States,  ipso  facto,  the 
war  was  over  as  to  them ;  and  furthermore,  that  if  any 
State  in  rebellion  would  conform  to  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States,  cease  war,  elect  senators  and  representa- 
tives to  Congress,  if  admitted  (of  which  each  house  of 
Congress  alone  is  the  judge),  that  State  becomes  instanter 
as  much  in  the  Union  as  New  York  or  Ohio.  Nor  was  I 
rebuked  for  this  expression,  though  it  was  universally 
known  and  commented  on  at  the  time.  And  again  Mr. 
Stanton,  in  person,  at  Savannah,  speaking  of  the  terrific 
expenses  of  the  war,  and  difficulty  of  realizing  the  money 
necessary  for  the  daily  wants  of  Government,  impressed 
me  most  forcibly  with  the  necessity  of  bringing  the  war  to 
a  close  as  soon  as  possible,  for  financial  reasons. 


THE   CLOSE    OF   THE   CAMPAIGN.  121 

On  the  evening  of  April  23,  Major  Hitchcock  reported 
his  return  to  Morehead  City  with  dispatches,  of  which 
"fact  General  Johnston,  at  Hillsborough,  was  notified,  so  as 
to  be  ready  in  the  morning  for  an  answer.  At  6  o'clock 
A.  M.  on  the  24th,  Major  Hitchcock  arrived,  accompanied 
by  General  Grant  and  members  of  his  staff,  who  had  not 
telegraphed  the  fact  of  his  coming  over  our  exposed  road 
for  prudential  reasons. 

I  soon  learned  that  the  memorandum  was  disapproved, 
without  reasons  assigned,  and  I  was  ordered  to  give  the 
forty-eight  hours'  notice,  and  resume  hostilities  at  the  close 
of  that  time,  governing  myself  by  the  substance  of  a  dis- 
patch then  inclosed,  dated  March  3, 12  M.,  at  Washington, 
D.  C.,  from  Secretary  Stanton  to  General  Grant  at  City 
Point ;  but  not  accompanied  by  any  part  of  the  volumin- 
ous matter  so  liberally  lavished  on  the  public  in  the  New 
York  journals  of  the  24th  of  April.*  That  was  the  first 
and  only  time  I  ever  saw  that  telegram,  or  had  one  word 
of  instruction  on  the  important  matters  involved  in  it, 
and  it  does  seem  strange  to  me  that  every  bar-room  loafer 
in  New  York  can  read  in  the  morning  journals  "  official" 
matter  that  is  withheld  from  a  general  whose  command 
extends  from  Kentucky  to  North  Carolina. 

Within  an  hour  a  courier  was  riding  from  Durham's 
Station  towards  Hillsborough,  with  notice  to  General 
Johnston  of  the  suspension  of  the  truce,  and  renewing  my 
demand  for  the  surrender  of  the  armies  under  his  immedi- 
ate command  (see  two  letters  of  April  24,  6  A.  M.)  ;  and 
at  12  M.  I  had  the  receipt  of  his  picket-officer.  I  there- 
fore published  my  Orders  No.  62  to  the  troops,  terminating 
the  truce  at  12  M.  on  the  2Gth,  and  ordered  all  to  be  in 

*  These  will  be  found  in  the  concluding  chapter. 


122  GENERAL   SHERMAN'S   GREAT   MARCH. 

readiness  to  march  at  that  hour,  on  the  routes  prescribed 
in  Special  Field  Orders,  No.  55,  of  April  14th,  from  the 
positions  held  April  18th. 

General  Grant  had  orders  from  the  President,  through 
the  secretary  of  war,  to  direct  military  mpvements,  and  I 
explained  to  him  the  exact  position  of  the  troops,  and  he 
approved  of  it  most  emphatically ;  but  he  did  not  relieve 
me,  or  express  a  wish  to  assume  command.  All  things 
•were  in  readiness,  when,  on  the  evening  of  the  25th,  I 
received  another  letter  from  General  Johnston,  asking  an- 
other interview  to  renew  negotiations. 

General  Grant  not  only  approved,  but  urged  me  to  ac- 
cept, and  I  appointed  a  meeting  at  our  former  place  at 
noon  of  the  26th,  the  very  hour  fixed  for  the  renewal  of 
hostilities.  General  Johnston  was  delayed  by  an  accident 
to  his  train,  but  at  2  P.M.  arrived.  We  then  consulted, 
concluded  and  signed  the  final  terms  of  capitulation. 

These  were  taken  by.  me  back  to  Raleigh,  submitted  to 
General  Grant,  and  met  his  immediate  approval  and  signa- 
ture. General  Johnston  was  not  even  aware  of  the  pres- 
ence of  General  Grant  at  Raleigh  at  the  time. 

Thus  was  surrendered  to  us  the  second  great  army  of 
the  so-called  Confederacy;  and  though  undue  importance 
has  been  given  to  the  so-called  negotiations  which  pre- 
ceded it,  and  a  rebuke  and  public  disfavor  cast  on  me 
wholly  unwarranted  by  the  facts,  I  rejoice  in  saying  that 
it  was  accomplished  without  further  ruin  and  devastation 
to  the  country ;  without  the  loss  of  a  single  life  to  those 
gallant  men  who  had  followed  me  from  the  Mississippi  to 
the  Atlantic ;  and  without  subjecting  brave  men  to  the 
ungracious  task  of  pursuing  a  fleeing  foe  that  did  not  want 
to  fight.  As  for  myself,  I  know  my  motives,  and  chal- 
lenge the  instance  during  the  past  four  years,  where  an 


THE   CLOSE   OF   THE    CAMPAIGN.  123 

armed  and  defiant  foe  stood  before  me,  that  I  did  not  go 
in  for  a  fight,  and  I  would  blush  for  shame  if  I  had  ever 
insulted  or  struck  a  fallen  foe. 

The  instant  the  terms  of  surrender  were  approved  by 
General  Grant,  I  made  my  Orders,  No.  65,  assigning  to 
each  of  my  subordinate  commanders  his  share  of  the  work, 
and,  with  General  Grant's  approval,  made  Special  Field 
Orders,  No.  66,  putting  in  motion  my  old  army,  no  longer 
required  in  Carolina,  northward  for  Richmond.* 

General  Grant  left  Raleigh  at  9  A.  M.  of  the  27th ;  and  I 
glory  in  the  fact  that,  during  his  three  days'  stay  with  me, 
I  did  not  detect  in  his  language  or  manner  one  particle  of 
abatement  in  the  confidence,  respect,  and  affection  that  have 
existed  between  us  throughout  all  the  varied  events  of  the 
past  war ;  and  though  we  have  honestly  differed  in  opinion  in 
other  cases  as  well  as  this,  still  we  respected  each  other's 
honest  convictions.  I  still  adhere  to  my  then  opinions,  that 
by  a  few  general  concessions,  "glittering  generalities,"  all  of 
which  in  the  end  must  and  will  be  conceded  to  the  organ- 
ized States  of  the  South,  that  this  day  there  would  not  be  an 
armed  battalion  opposed  to  us  within  the  broad  area  of  the 
dominions  of  the  United  States.  Robbers  and  assassins 
must,  in  any  event,  result  from  the  disbandment  of  large 
armies ;  but  even  these  should  be,  and  could  be,  taken  care  of 
by  the  local  civil  authorities,  without  being  made  a  charge 
on  the  national  treasury. 

On  the  evening  of  the  28th,  having  concluded  all  busi- 
ness requiring  my  personal  attention  at  Raleigh,  and  hav- 
ing conferred  with  every  army  commander,  and  delegated 
to  him  the  authority  necessary  for  his  future  action,  I  dis- 


*  These  orders  will  be  found  on  pp.  154,155. 


124:  GENERAL    SHEKMAN's    GKEAT   HARCHJ. 

patched  my  headquarter  wagons  by  land  along  with  the 
Seventeenth  Corps,  the  office  in  charge  of  General  Webster, 
from  Newbern  to  Alexandria,  Va.,  by  sea,  and  in  person, 
accompanied  only  by  my  personal  staff,  hastened  to  Sa- 
vannah to  direct  matters  in  the  interior  of  South  Carolina 
and  Georgia. 

I  had  received,  across  the  rebel  telegraph  wires,  cipher 
dispatches  from  General  Wilson,  at  Macon,  to  the  effect 
that  he  was  in  receipt  of  my  orders  No.  65,  and  would  send 
General  Upton's  division  to  Augusta,  and  General  McCook's 
division  to  Tallahassee,  to  receive  the  surrender  of  those 
garrisons,  take  charge  of  the  public  property,  and  execute 
the  paroles  required  by  the  terms  of  surrender.  He  re- 
ported a  sufficiency  of  forage  for  his  horses  in  Southwest 
Georgia,  but  asked  me  to  send  him  a  supply  of  clothing, 
sugar,  coffee,  etc.,  by  way  of  Augusta,  Georgia,  whence  he 
could  get  it  by  rail.  I  therefore  went  rapidly  to  Goldsboro' 
and  Wilmington,  reaching  the  latter  city  at  10  A.  ar.  of 
the  29th,  and  the  same  day  embarked  for  Hilton  Head,  in 
the  blockade-runner  Russia,  Captain  A.  M.  Smith. 

I  found  General  Q.  A.  Gillmore,  commanding  Depart- 
ment of  the  South,  at  Hilton  Head  on  the  evening  of  April 
30,  and  ordered  him  to  send  to  Augusta  at  once  what 
clothing  and  small  stores  he  could  spare  for  General  Wilson, 
and  to  open  up  a  line  of  certain  communication  and  supply 
with  him  at  Macon.  Within  an  hour  the  captured  steam- 
boats Jeff.  Davis  and  Amazon,  both  adapted  to  the  shallow 
and  crooked  navigation  of  the  Savannah  River,  were  being 
loaded,  the  one  at  Savanna*h  and  the  other  at  Hilton  Head. 
The  former  started  up  the  river  on  the  1st  of  May,  in  charge 
of  a  very  intelligent  officer  (whose  name  I  cannot  recall) 
and  forty-eight  men  (all  the  boat  could  carry),  with  orders 
to  occupy  temporarily  the  United  States  arsenal  at  Augusta, 


THE   CLOSE   OF   THE   CAMPAIGN.  125 

and  open  up  communication  with  General  Wilson,  at  Ma- 
con,  in  the  event  that  General  McCook's  division  of  cavalry 
was  not  already  there.  The  Amazon  followed  next  day, 
and  General  Gillmore  had  made  the  necessary  orders  for  a 
brigade  of  infantry,  to  be  commanded  by  General  Moly- 
neux,  to  follow  by  a  land  march  to  Augusta,  as  its  perma- 
nent garrison  ;  another  brigade  of  infantry  was  ordered  to 
occupy  Orangeburg,  South  Carolina — the  point  furthest 
in  the  interior  that  can  at  present  be  reached  by  rail  from 
the  seacoast  (Charleston). 

On  the  1st  of  May  I  went  on  to  Savannah,  where  General 
Gillmore  also  joined  me,  and  the  arrangements  ordered  for 
the  occupation  of  Augusta  were  consummated.  At  Savan- 
nah I  found  the  city  in  the  most  admirable  police, 
under  direction  of  brevet  Major-General  Grover,  and 
the  citizens  manifested  the  most  unqualified  joy  to  hear 
that,  so  far  as  they  were  concerned,  the  war  was  over. 
All  classes,  Union  men  as  well  as  former  rebels,  did  not 
conceal,  however,  the  apprehensions  naturally  arising  from 
a  total  ignorance  of  the  political  conditions  to  be  attached 
to  their  future  state.  Any  thing  at  all  would  be  preferable 
to  this  dread  uncertainty. 

On  the  evening  of  the  2d  of  May  I  returned  to  Hilton 
Head,  and  there  for  the  first  time  received  the  New  York 
papers  of  April  28,  containing  Secretary  Stanton's  dispatch 
of  9  A.  M.  of  the  27th  of  April  to  General  Dix,  including 
General  Halleck's  from  Richmond  of  9  p.  M.  the  night  be- 
fore,* which  seems  to  have  been  rushed  with  extreme  haste 
before  an  excited  public,  viz.,  morning  of  the  28th.  You 
will  observe  from  the  dates  that  these  dispatches  were 


Given  in  the  concluding  chapter. 


126       GENERAL  SHERMAN?S  GREAT  MARCH. 

running  back  and  forth  from  Richmond  and  Washington 
to  New  York,  and  there  published,  while  General  Grant 
and  I  were  together  in  Raleigh,  N.  C.,  adjusting,  to  the 
best  of  our  ability,  the  terms  of  surrender  of  the  only  re- 
maining formidable  rebel  army  in  existence  at  the  time 
east  of  the  Mississippi  River.  Not  one  word  of  intimation 
had  been  sent  to  me  of  the  displeasure  of  the  Government 
with  my  official  conduct,  but  only  the  naked  disapproval 
of  a  skeleton  memorandum  sent  properly  for  the  action  of 
the  President  of  the  United  States. 

The  most  objectionable  features  of  my  memorandum  had 
already  (April  24)  been  published  to  the  world  in  violation 
of  official  usage ;  and  the  contents  of  my  accompanying 
letters  to  General  Halleck,  General  Grant,  and  Mr. 
Stanton,  of  even  date,  though  at  hand,  were  suppressed. 
In  all  these  letters  I  had  stated  clearly  and  distinctly  that 
Johnston's  army  would  not  fight,  but  if  pushed  would 
"  disband"  and  scatter  into  small  and  dangerous  guerrilla 
parties,  as  injurious  to  the  interests  of  the  United  States 
as  to  the  rebels  themselves  ;  that  all  parties  admitted  that 
the  rebel  cause  of  the  South  was  abandoned,  that  the 
negro  was  free,  and  that  the  temper  of  all  was  most 
favorable  to  a  lasting  peace.  I  say  all  these  opinions  of 
mine  were  withheld  from  the  public  with  a  seeming  purpose. 
And  I  do  contend  that  my  official  experience  and  former 
services,  as  well  as  my  past  life  and  familiarity  with  tho 
people  and  geography  of  the  South,  entitle  my  opinions  to 
at  least  a  decent  respect. 

Although  this  dispatch  (Mr.  Stanton's,  of  April  27) 
was  printed  "  official,"  it  had  come  to  me  only  in  the  ques- 
tionable newspaper  paragraph  headed,  "  Sherman's  truce 
disregarded." 

I  had  already  done  what  General  Wilson  wanted  me  to 


TIIE   CLOSE   OF   THE   CAMPAIGN.  127 

• 

do,  viz.,  had  sent  him  supplies  of  clothing  and  food,  with 
clear  and  distinct  orders  and  instructions  how  to  carry  out, 
in  Western  Georgia,  the  terms  for  the  surrender  of  arms 
and  paroling  of  prisoners  made  by  General  Johnston's 
capitulation  of  April  26,  and  had  properly  and  most  op- 
portunely ordered  General  Gillmore  to  occupy  Orangeburg 
and  Augusta — strategic  points  of  great  value  at  all  times, 
in  peace  or  war.  But  as  the  secretary  had  taken  upon 
himself  to  order  my  subordinate  generals  to  disobey  iny 
"  orders,"  I  explained  to  General  Gillmore  that  I  would  no 
longer  confuse  him  or  General  Wilson  with  "  orders"  that 
might  conflict  with  those  of  the  secretary,  which,  as  re- 
ported, were  not  sent  through  me,  but  in  open  disregard 
of  me  and  my  lawful  authority. 

It  now  becomes  my  duty  to  paint,  in  justly  severe  char- 
acter,, the  still  more  offensive  and  dangerous  matter  of 
General  Halleck's  dispatch,  of  April  26,  to  the  secretary  of 
war,  embodied  in  his  to  General  Dix,  of  April  27.  Gen- 
eral Halleck  had  been  chief  of  staif  of  the  army  at  Wash- 
ington, in  which  capacity  he  must  have  received  my  official 
letter  of  April  18,  wherein  I  wrote,  clearly,  that  if  John- 
ston's army  about  Greensboro'  were  pushed,  it  would  "  dis- 
perse"— an  event  I  wished  to  prevent.  About  that  time 
he  seems  to  have  been  sent  from  Washington  to  Richmond 
to  command  the  new  military  division  of  the  James ;  in  as- 
suming charge  of  which,  on  the  22d,  he  defines  the  limits 
of  his  authority  to  be  the  "  Department  of  Virginia,  tho 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  such  part  of  North  Carolina  as 
may  not  be  occupied  by  the  command  of  Major-General 
Sherman."  (See  his  General  Orders,  No.  1.)  Four  days 
later  (April  26)  he  reports  to  the  secretary  that  he  has 
ordered  Generals  Meade,  Sheridan,  and  Wright  to  invade 
that  part  of  North  Carolina  which  was  occupied  by  my 


128      GENERAL  SHERMAN^  GREAT  MARCH. 

command,  and  pay* "  no  regard  to  any  truce  or  orders  of" 
mine.  They  were  ordered  to  "  push  forward  regardless  of 
any  order  save  those  of  Lieutenant-General  Grant,  and 
cut  off  Johnston's  retreat."  He  knew  at  the  time  he 
penned  that  dispatch  and  made  those  orders  that  Johnston 
was  not  retreating,  but  was  halted  under  a  forty-eight 
hours'  truce  with  me,  and  was  laboring,  to  surrender  his 
command,  and  "prevent  its  dispersion  into  guerilla  bands; 
and  that  I  had  on  the  spot  a  magnificent  army  at  my 
command,  amply  sufficient  for  all  purposes  required  by  the 
occasion.  The  plan  for  cutting  off  a  retreat  from  the  di- 
rection of  Burkesville  and  Danville  is  hardly  worthy  of  one 
of  his  military  education  and  genius. 

"When  he  contemplated  an  act  so  questionable  as  the  vi- 
olation of  a  truce  made  by  competent  authority  within  his 
sphere  of  command,  he  should  have  gone  himself,  and  not 
have  sent  subordinates,  for  he  knew  I  was  bound  in  honor 
to  defend  and  maintain  my  own  truce  and  pledge  of  faith, 
even  at  the  cost  of  many  lives.  When  an  officer  pledges 
the  faith  of  his  government  he  is  bound  to  defend  it,  and 
he  is  no  soldier  who  would  violate  it  knowingly. 

As  to  Davis  and  his  stolen  treasure,  did  General  Halleck, 
as  chief  of  staff  or  commanding  officer  of  the  neighboring 
military  division,  notify  me  of  the  facts  contained  in  his 
dispatch  to  the  secretary  ?  No,  he  did  not.  If  the  secre- 
tary of  war  wanted  Davis  caught,  why  not  order  it,  in- 
stead of,  by  publishing  it  in  the  newspapers,  putting  him  on 
his  guard  to  hide  away  and  escape?  No  orders  or  in- 
stuctions  to  catch  Davis  and  his  stolen  treasure  ever  came 
to  me,  but  on  the  contrary  I  was  led  to  believe  that  the 
secretary  of  war  rather  preferred  he  should  effect  an  escape 
from  the  country,  if  made  "  unknown"  to  him. 

But  even  on  this  point  I  inclose  a  copy  of  my  letter  to 


THE   CLOSE   OF   THE   CAMPAIGN.  129 

Admiral  Dahlgren,  at  Charleston,  sent  him  by  a  fleet 
steamer  from  Wilmington,  on  the  25th  of  April,  two  days 
before  the  bankers  of  Richmond  had  imparted  to  General 
Halleck  the  important  secret  as  to  Davis's  movements,  de- 
signed, doubtless,  to  stimulate  his  troops  to  march  their 
legs  off  to  catch  their  treasure  for  their  own  use.  I  know 
now  that  Admiral  Dahlgren  did  receive  my  letter  on  the 
26th,  and  had  acted  on  it  before  General  Halleck  had  even 
thought  of  the  matter.  But  I  don't  believe  a  word  of  the 
treasure  story  ;  it  is  absurd  on  its  face,  and  General  Hal- 
leck or  anybody  has  my  full  permission  to  chase  Jeff. 
Davis  and  cabinet,  with  their  stolen  treasure,  through- any 
part  of  the  country  occupied  by  my  command. 

The  last  and  most  obnoxious  feature  of  General  Halleck's 
dispatch  is  where  he  goes  out  of  his  way,  and  advises  that 
my  subordinates,  Generals  Thomas,  Stoneman,  and  Wilson, 
should  be  instructed  "  not  to  obey  Sherman's  commands." 

This  is  too  much,  and  I  turn  from  the  subject  with  feel- 
ings too  strong  for  words,  and  merely  record  my  belief 
that  so  much  mischief  was  never  before  embraced  in  so 
small  a  space  as  in  the  newspaper  paragraph  headed,  "  Sher- 
man's truce  disregarded,"  authenticated  as  "  official"  by 
Mr.  Secretary  Stanton,  and  published  in  the  New  York 
papers  of  April  28. 

During  the  night  of  May  2d,  at  Hilton  Head,  having  con- 
cluded my  business  in  the  department  of  the  South,  I 
began  my  return  to  meet  my  troops,  then  marching  towards 
Richmond  from  Raleigh.  On  the  morning  of  the  3d,  we 
ran  into  Charleston  harbor,  where  I  had  the  pleasure  to 
meet  Admiral  Dahlgren,  who  had,  in  all  my  previous  op- 
erations from  Savannah  northward,  aided  me  with  a  cour- 
tesy and  manliness  that  commanded  my  entire  respect 
and  deep  affection.  Also  General  Hatch,  who,  from  our 

6* 


130  GENERAL    SHERMAN^   GEEAT   MARCH. 

first  interview  at  his  Tullafinnay  camp,  had  caught  the 
spirit  of  the  move  from  Pocotaligo  northward,  and  had 
largely  contributed  to  our  joint  success  in  taking  Charles- 
ton and  the  Carolina  coast.  Any  one  who  is  not  satisfied 
with  war,  should  go  and  see  Charleston,  and  he  will  pray 
louder  and  deeper  than  ever  that  the  country  may,  in  the 
long  future,  be  spared  any  more  war.  Charleston  and  se- 
cession being  synonymous  terms,  the  city  should  be  left  as 
a  sample,  so  that  centuries  will  pass  away  before  that  false 
doctrine  is  again  preached  in  our  Union. 

We  left  Charleston  on  the  evening  of  the  3d  of  May, 
and  Chastened  with  all  possible  speed  back  to  Morehead 
City,  which  we  reached  at  night  on  the  4th.  I  immediately 
communicated  by  telegraph  to  General  Schotield  at  Ra- 
leigh, and  learned  from  him  the  pleasing  fact  that  the 
lieutenant-general  commanding  the  armies  of  the  United 
States  had  reached  the  Chesapeake  in  time  to  countermand 
General  Halleck's  orders,  and  prevent  his  violating  my  truce, 
invading  the  area  of  my  command,  and  driving  Johnston's 
surrendering  army  into  fragments.  General  Johnston  had 
fulfilled  his  agreement  to  the  very  best  of  his  ability,  and 
the  officers,  charged  with  issuing  the  paroles  at  Greensboro', 
reported  about  thirty  thousand  (30,000)  already  made,  and 
that  the  greater  part  of  the  North  Carolina  troops  had  gone 
home  without  waiting  for  their  papers ;  but  that  all  of 
them,  would,  doubtless,  come  into  some  one  of  the  military 
posts,  the  commanders  of  which  are  authorized  to  grant 
them.  About  eight  hundred  (800)  of  the  rebel  cavalry  had 
gone  south,  refusing  to  abide  the  terms  of  the  surrender, 
and  it  was  supposed  they  would  make  for  Mexico.  I  would 
sincerely  advise  that  they  be  encouraged  to  go  and  stay. 
They  would  be  a  nuisance  to  any  civilized  government, 
whether  loose  or  in  prison. 


THE   CLOSE   OF   THE   CAMPAIGN.  131 

With  the  exception  of  some  plundering  on  the  part  of 
Lee's  and  Johnston's  disbanded  men,  all  else  in  North 
Carolina  was  quiet.  When,  to  the  number  of  men  sur- 
rendered at  Greensboro',  are  added  those  at  Tallahassee, 
Augusta,  and  Macon,  with  the  scattered  squads  who  will 
come  in  at  other  military  posts,  I  have  no  doubt  fifty 
thousand  (50,000)  armed  men  will  be  disarmed  and  restored 
to  civil  pursuits,  by  the  capitulation  made  near  Durham's 
Station,  North  Carolina,  on  the  26th  of  April,  and  that, 
too,  without  the  loss  of  a  single  life  to  us. 

On  the  5th  of  May  I  received,  and  here  subjoin,  a,  further 
dispatcli  from  Gen.  Schofield,  which  contains  inquiries  I 
have  been  unable  to  satisfy,  similar  to  those  made  by  nearly 
every  officer  in  my  command  whose  duty  .brings  him  in 
contact  with  citizens.  I  leave  you  to  do  what  you  think 
expedient  to  provide  the  military  remedy. 

Br  TELEGRAPH  FROM  KALEIGH,  N.  C.,  Muy  5,  1865. 
T«  Major-General  W.  T.  SHERMAN,  M&rehead  City. 

When  General  Grant  was  here,  as  you  doubtless  recol- 
lect, he  said  the  lines  had  been  extended  to  embrace  this 
and  other  States  south.  The  order,  it  seems,.has  been 
modified  so  as  to  include  only  Virginia  and  Tennessee.  I 
think  it  would  be  an  act  of  wisdom  to  open  this  State  to 
trade  at  once.  I  hope  the  Government  will  make  known 
its  policy  as  to  the  organs  of  State  government  without 
delay.  Aifairs  must  necessarily  be  in  a  very  unsettled 
state  until  that  is  done.  The  people  are  now  in  a  mood  to 
accept  almost  any  thing  which  promises  a  definite  settle- 
ment. What  is  to  be  done  with  the  freedinen  is  the  ques- 
tion of  all,  and  it  is  the  all-important  question.  It  requires 
prompt  arid  wise  action  to  prevent  the  negro  from  becom- 
ing a  huge  elephant  on  our  hands.  If  I  am  to  govern  this 


132     GENERAL  SHERMAN'S  GREAT  MARCH. 

State,  it  is  important  for  me  to  know  it,  at  once.  If  another 
is  to  be  sent  here,  it  cannot  be  done  too  soon,  for  he  will 
probably  undo  the  most  that  I  shall  have  done.  I  shall  be 
glad  to  hear  from  you  fully  when  you  have  time  to  write. 
'  I  will  send  your  message  to  General  Wilson  at  once. 

J.  M.  SCHOFIELD,  Major-General. 

I  give  this  dispatch  entire,  to  demonstrate  how  inter- 
mingled have  become  civil  matters  with  the  military,  and 
how  almost  impossible  it  has  become  for  an  officer  in 
authority  to  act  a  pure  military  part.  There  are  no  longer 
armed  enemies  in  Xorth  Carolina,  and  a  soldier  can  deal 
with  no  other  sort.  The  marshals  and  sheriffs,  with  their 
posse  (of  whicl*  the  military  may  become  a  part),  are  the 
only  proper  officers  to  deal  with  civil  criminals  and  ma- 
rauders. But  I  will  not  be  drawn  out  into  a  discussion  of 
this  subject,  but  instance  the  case  to  show  how  difficult  is 
the  task  become  to  military  officers,  when  men  of  the 
rank,  education,  experience,  nerve,  and  good  sense  of  Gen. 
Schofield  feel  embarrassed  by  them. 

General  Schofield,  at  Raleigh,  has  a  well-appointed  and 
well-disciplined  command,  is  in  telegraphic  communica- 
tion with  the  controlling  parts  of  his  department,  and 
the  remote  ones  in  the  direction  of  Georgia,  as  well  as 
with  Washington,  and  has  military  possession  of  all  stra- 
tegic points. 

In  like  manner,  Gen.  Gillmore  is  well  situated  in  all  re- 
spects, except  as  to  rapid  communication  with  the  seat  of  the 
general  government.  I  leave  him  also  with  every  man  he 
ever  asked  for,  and  in  full  and  quiet  possession  of  every 
strategic  point  in  his  department.  And  General  Wilson 
has,  in  the  very  heart  of  Georgia,  the  strongest,  best  ap- 
pointed, and  best  equipped  cavalry  corps  that  ever  fell 


THE   CLOSE   OF   THE   CAMPAIGN.  133 

under  my  command  ;  and  he  has  now,  by  my  recent  action, 
opened  to  him  a  source  and  route  of  supply,  by  way  of 
Savannah  River,  that  simplifies  his  military  problem ;  so 
that  I  think  I  may,  with  a  clear  conscience,  leave  them, 
and  turn  my  attention  once  more  to  my  special  com- 
mand— the  army  with  which  I  have  been  associated  through 
borne  of  the  most  eventful  scenes  of  this  or  any  war. 

I  hope  and  believe  none  of  these  commanders  will  ever 
have  reason  to  reproach  me  for' any  "orders"  they  may 
have  received  from  me.  And  the  President  of  the  United 
States  may  be  assured  that  all  of  them  are  in  position, 
ready  and  willing  to  execute  to  the  letter,  and  in  spirit,  any 
orders  he  may  give.  I  shall  henceforth  cease  to  give  them 
any  orders  at  all,  for  the  occasion  that  made  them  subor- 
dinate to  me  is  past ;  and  I  shall  confine  my  attention  to 
the  army  composed  of  the  Fifteenth  and  Seventeenth, 
the  Fourteenth  and  Twentietk  Corps,  unless  the  com- 
manding general  of  the  armies  of  the  United  States  orders 
otherwise. 

At  4  o'clock  P.M.  of  May  9,  I  reached  Manchester,  on 
the  James  River,  opposite  Richmond,  and  found  that  all  the 
four  corps  had  arrived  from  Raleigh,  and  were  engaged  in 
replenishing  their  wagons  for  the  resumption  of  the  march 
towards  Alexandria. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be  your  obedient  servant, 

W.  T.  SHERMAN, 
Major-General  commanding. 

General  JOHN  A.  RAWLINGS, 

Chief  of  Staff,  Washington,  D.  C. 


134:       GENERAL  SHERMANS  GEE  AT  MARCH. 


GENERAL   SHERMAN'S   FAREWELL  ADDRESS 
TO   HIS  ARMY. 


SPECIAL   FIELD    ORDERS NO.   76. 

• 
HEADQUARTERS  MILITARY  DIVISION  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI, 

In  the  Field,  Washington,  D.  C.,  May  30,  1865. 

THE  genei'al  commanding  announces  to  the  Armies  of 
the  Tennessee  and  Georgia  that  the  time  lias  come  for  us 
to  part.  Our  work  is  done,  and  armed  enemies  no  longer 
defy  us.  Some  of  you  will  be  retained  in  service  until 
further  orders.  And  now  that  we  are  about  to  separate, 
to  mingle  with  the  civil  world,  it  becomes  a  pleasing  duty 
to  recall  to  mind  the  situation  of  national  affairs  when, 
but  a  little  more  than  a  year  ago,  we  were  gathered 
about  the  twining  cliifs  of  Lookout  Mountain,  and  all  the 
future  was  wrapped  in  doubt  and  uncertainty.  Three 
armies  had  come  together  from  distant  fields,  with  sepa- 
rate histories,  yet  bound  by  one  common  cause — the  union 
of  our  country  and  the  perpetuation  of  the  Government 
of  our  inheritance.  There  is  no  need  to  recall  to  your 
memories  Tunnell  Hill,  with  its  Rocky  Face  Mountain,  and 
Buzzard  Roost  Gap,  with  the  ugly  forts  of  Dalton  behind. 
We  were  in  earnest,  and  paused  not  for  danger  and  diffi- 
culty, but  dashed  through  Snake  Creek  Gap,  and  fell  on 
Resaca,  then  on  to  the  Etowah,  to  Dallas,  Kenesaw ; 
and  the  heats  of  summer  found  us  on  the  banks  of  the 
Chattahoochie,  far  from  home  and  dependent  on  a  single 
road  for  supplies.  Again  we  were  not  to  be  held  back 
by  any  obstacle,  and  crossed  over  and  fought  four  heavy 


THE   CLOSE   OF   THE   CAMPAIGN.  135 

battles  for  the  possession  of  the  citadel  of  Atlanta.  That 
was  the  crisis  of  our  history.  '  A  doubt  still  clouded  our 
future ;  but  we  solved  the  problem,'  and  destroyed  At- 
lanta, struck  boldly  across  the  State  of  Georgia,  secured 
all  the  main  arteries  of  life  to  our  enemy,  and  Christmas 
found  us  at  Savannah.  Waiting  there  ^nly  long  enough 
to  fill  our  wagons,  we  again  began  a  Inarch,  which  for 
peril,  labor,  and  results,  will  compare  with  any  ever  made 
by  an  organized  army.  The  floods  of  the  Savannah,  the 
swamps  of  the  Combahee  and  Edisto,  the  high  hills  and 
rocks  of  the  Santee,  the  flat  quagmires  of  the  Pedee 
and  Cape  Fear  rivers,  wei-e  all  passed  in  midwinter,  with 
its  floods  and  rains,  in  the  face  of  an  accumulating  enemy ; 
and  after  the  battles  of  Averasboro'  and  Bentonville 
we  once  more  came  out  of  the  wilderness  to  meet  our 
friends  at  Goldsboro'.  Even  then  we  paused  only  long 
enough  to  get  new  clothing,  to  reload  our  wagons,  and 
again  pushed  on  to  Raleigh,  and  beyond,  until  we  met 
our  enemy,  sueing  for  peace  instead  of  war,  and  offering 
to  submit  to  the  injured  laws  of  his  and  our  country. 
As  long  as  that  e«emy  was  defiant,  nor  mountains,  nor 
rivers,  nor  swamps,  nor  hunger,  nor  cold  had  checked 
us ;  but  when  he  who  had  fought  us  hard  and  persis- 
tently offered  submission,  your  general  thought  it  wrong 
to  pursue  Kim  further,  and  negotiations  followed  which 
resulted,  as  you  all  know,  in  his  surrender.  How  far  the 
operations  of  the  army  have  contributed  to  the  over- 
throw of  the  Confederacy,  of  the  peace  which  now  dawns 
on  us,  must  be  judged  by  others,  not  by  us.  But  that 
you  have  done  all  that  men  could  do  has  been  admitted 
by  those  in  authority ;  and  we  have  a  right  to  join  in 
the  universal  joy  that  fills  our  land  because  the  war  is 
over,  and  our  Government  stands  vindicated  before  the 


136  GENERAL   SHERMAN'S   GEEAT  MARCH. 

world  by  the  joint  action  of  the  volunteer  armies  of  the 
United  States. 

To  such  as  remain  in  the  military  service,  your  gen- 
eral need  only  remind  you  that  successes  in  the  past  are 
due  to  hard  work  and  discipline,  and  that  the  sam£  work 
and  discipline  are  equally  important  in  the  future.  To 
such  as  go  home,  he  will  only  say,  that  our  favored 
country  is  so  grand,  so  extensive,  so  diversified  in  cli- 
mate, soil,  and  productions,  that  every  man  may  surely  find 
a  home  and  occupation  suited  to  his  taste ;  and  none 
should  yield  to  the  natural  impotence  sure  to  result  from 
our  past  life  of  excitement  and  adventure.  You  will  be 
invited  to  seek  new  adventure  abroad  ;  but  do  not  yield 
to  the  temptation,  for  it  will  lead  only  to  death  and  disap- 
pointment. 

Your  general  now  bids  you  all  farewell,  with  the  full 
belief  that,  as  in  war  you  have  been  good  soldiers,  so  in 
peace  you  will  make  good  citizens ;  and  if,  unfortunately, 
new  war  should  arise  in  our  country,  Sherman's  army  will 
be  the  first  to  buckle  on  the  old  armor  and  come  forth  to 
defend  and  maintain  the  Government-  of  our  inheritance 
and  choice. 

By  order  of 

MAJOR-GENERAL  W.  T.  SHERMAN. 

L.  M.  DAYTON,  Assistant  Adjutant-General. 


CORRESPONDENCE   WITH   JOHNSTON.  137 


OFFICIAL    RECORD    OF    THE    CORRESPONDEXCE 

RELATING   TO   THE    SURRENDER    OF    THE    CONFEDERATE    ARMY    UN- 
DER  THE    COMMAND    OF    GENERAL   JOSEPH    E.    JOHNSTON  ; 

With  General  Sherman's  Orders  on  Peace. 


HEADQUABTEBS  IN  THE  FIELD,  April  14,  1865. 

Major-General  W.  T.  SHERMAN,  Commanding  United  States  Forces : 
GENERAL — The  results  of  the  recent  campaigns  in  Vir- 
ginia have  changed  the  relative  military  condition  of  the 
belligerents.  I  am  therefore  induced  to  address  you,  in 
this  form,  the  inquiry  whether,  in  order  to  stop  the  further 
effusion  of  blood  and  devastation  of  property,  you  are 
willing  to  make  a  temporary  suspension  of  active  opera- 
tions, and  to  communicate  to  Lieutenant-General  Grant, 
commanding  the  armies  of  the  United  States,  the  request 
that  he  will  take  like  action  in  regard  to  other  armies,  the 
object  being  to  permit  the  civil  authorities  to  enter  into 
the  needful  arrangements  to  terminate  the  existing  war. 

o  o 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  very  respectfully, 
Your  obedient  servant, 

J.  E.  JOHNSTON,  General. 


HEADQUABTERS,  MILJTABT  DIVISION  or  THE  MISSISSIPPI, 
In  the  Field,  Ealeigh,  N.  C.,  April  14,  1865. 

General  J.  E.  JOKNSTON,  Commanding  Confederate  Army  : 

GENERAL — I  have  this  moment  received  your  communi- 
cation of  this  date.     I  am  fully  empowered  to  arrange  with 


138  GENKKAL   SHERMAN'S   GREAT   MARCH. 

you  any  terms  for  the  suspension  of  further  hostilities,  as 
between  the  armies  commanded  by  you  and  those  com- 
manded by  myself,  and  will  be  willing  to  confer  with  you 
to  that  end.  I  will  limit  the  advance  of  my  main  column, 
to-morrow,  to  Morrisville,  and  the  cavalry  to  the  Univer- 
sity, and  expect  that  you  will  also  maintain  the  present 
position  of  your  forces  until  each  has  notice  of  a  failure  to 
agree. 

That  a  basis  of  action  may  be  had,  I  undertake  to  abide 
by  the  same  terms  and  conditions  as  were  made  by  Gen- 
erals Grant  and  Lee,  at  Appomattox  Court-house,  of  the  9th 
instant,  relative  to  our  two  armies ;  and,  furthermore,  to 
obtain  from  General  Grant  an  order  to  suspend  the  move- 
ments of  any  troops  from  the  direction  of  Virginia.  Gen- 
eral Stoneman  is  under  my  command,  and  my  order  will 
suspend  any  devastation  or  destruction  contemplated  by 
him.  I  will  add,  that  I  really  desire  to  save  the  people  of 
North  Carolina  the  damage  thoy  would  sustain  by  the 
march  of  this  army  through  the  central  or  western  parts  of 
the  State. 

I  am,  with  respect, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

W.  T.  SHERMAN,  Major-General. 


DURHAM'S  STATION,  April  16,  1865. 
Major-General  SHERMAN  : 

The   following   dispatch   has  just   been  received   from 
Lieutenant-General  Wade  Hampton. 

J.  KILPATRICK,  Brevet  Major-General. 

Major-General  J.  KTT.PATRICK,  United  States : 

GENERAL — The  General  commanding  directs  me  to  ar- 


CORRKSPONDENCK  WITH  JOHNSTON.        139 

range  for  a  meeting  between  himself  and  Major-General 
Sherman.  In  accordance  with  these  instructions,  I  beg  to 
inquire  when  and  where  this  meeting  can  most  conve- 
niently be  had.  I  suggest  ten  (10)  o'clock  A.  M.  to-morrow, 
as  the  hour,  and  a  point  on  the  Hillsboro'  road,  equidistant 
from  the  picket  of  your  command  and  my  own,  as  the 
place  for  the  proposed  meeting. 

I  am,  respectfully,  yours, 
NED  WADE  HAMPTON,  Lieutenant-General. 


[The  "memorandum"  of  agreement  made  April  18,  between  Generals 
Sherman  and  Johnston,  will  be  found  in  the  last  chapter.] 


GREENSBORO',  April  19,  18G5. 

Major-General  W.  T.  SHERMAN,  Commanding  United  States  Forces 
in  North  Carolina  : 

GENERAL — As  your  troops  are  moving  from  the  coast 
towards  the  interior  of  South  Carolina,  and  from  Columbus 
towards  Macon,  Ga.,  I  respectfully  suggest  that  you  send 
copies  of  your  orders  announcing  the  suspension  of  hostili- 
ties for  transmittal  to  them,  supposing  the  interior  route  to 
be  the  shortest. 

Most  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  E.  JOHNSTON,  General  C.  S.  A. 


HEADQUARTERS  MILITARY  DIVISION  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI, 
In  the  Field,  Kuleigh,  N.  C.,  April  20, 1865. 

General  J.  E.  JOHNSTON,  Greensboro'  : 

GENERAL — At  your  request  I  send  you,  by  Major  Saun- 
ders,  several  written  and  printed  copies  of  an  order  I  have 


140  GENERAL   SHERMAN'S    GREAT    MAECH. 

made  to  this  army,  which  announces  the  cessation  of  hos- 
tilities, etc.  I  dispatched  a  steamer  from  Morehead  City, 
yesterday,  for  Charleston,  with  orders  to  General  Gillmore 
to  cease  all  acts  of  destruction,  public  or  private,  and  to 
draw  Generals  Hatch  and  Potter  back  of  the  frontier. 
Also,  by  11.30  A.  M.  yesterday,  Major  Hitchcock  was  on  a 
fleet  steamer  at  Morehead  City,  carrying  a  request  to  Gen- 
eral Meade  to  check  the  movement  of  his  army  on  Dan- 
ville and  Weldon ;  so  that  I  hope  your  people  will  be 
spared  in  the  Carolinas.  But  I  am  apprehensive  of  Wilson, 
who  is  impetuous  and  rapid.  If  you  will  send  by  telegraph 
and  courier  a  single  word,  he  will  stop,  and  then  the  in- 
closed order  will  place  his  command  at  a  point  convenient 
to  our  supplies. 

I  send  you  a  late  paper,  showing  that  in  Virginia  the 
State  authorities  are  acknowledged  and  invited  to  resume 
their  lawful  functions. 

Yours,  with  respect, 

W.  T.  SHERMAN,  Major-General. 


[Telegram.] 

HEADQUARTERS  ARMY  OTF  TENNESSEE, 
April  21,  18C5— 9.30  A.  M. 

To  Lieutenant-General  HAMPTON  : 

Transmit  to  General  Sherman  the  following  dispatch, 
dated  Headquarters  Cavalry  Corps,  Military  Division  ot 
the  West,  Macon,  Georgia,  April  20,  1865. 

"  To  Major-General  W.  T.  SHERMAN,  through  headquarters  of  Gen- 
eral BEATJREGAUD  : 

"  My  advance  received  the  surrender  of  this  city  with  its 
garrison  this  evening.  General  Cobb  had  previously  sent 


CORRESPONDENCE   WITH   JOHNSTON.  141 

me,  under  flag  of  truce,  a  copy  of  the  telegram  from  Gen- 
eral Beauregard,  declaring  the  existence  of  an  armistice 
between  all  the  troops  under  your  command  and  those  of 
General  Johnston.  Without  questioning  the  authority  of 
this  dispatch,  or  its  application  to  my  command,  I  could 
not  communicate  orders  in  time  to  prevent  the  capture.  I 
shall  therefore  hold  the  garrison,  including  Major-Generals 
Cobb  and  G.  W.  Smith,  and  Brigadier-General  McCall, 
prisoners  of  war. 

"  Please  send  me  orders.   I  shall  remain  here  a  reasonable 
length  of  time  to  hear  from  you. 

"J.  H.  WILSON, 
"  Brevet  Major-General  U.  S.  A." 

J.  E.  JOHNSTON,  General. 
Official :  H.  B.  McCl.KTJ.AK,  A.  A.  GK 


[Telegram.] 

HEADQUARTERS  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE, 
April  21,  1865—9.30  A.  M. 

Major-General  W.  T.  SHEBMAN,  ewe  Liewtenant-General  HAMPTON, 
via,  Hillsboro' : 

I  transmit  a  dispatch,  just  received  by  telegraph  from 
Major-General  Wilson,  United  States  Army.  Should  you 
desire  to  give  the  orders  asked  for  in  the  same  manner,  I 
beg  you  to  send  them  to  me  through  Lieutenant-General 
Hampton's  office. 

I  hope  that,  for  the  sake  of  expedition,  you  are  willing 
to  take  this  course.  I  also  send,  for  your  information,  a 
copy  of  a  dispatch  received  from  Major-General  Cobb. 

J.  E.  JOHNSTON. 

Official :  H.  B.  McCLEiXAN,  A.  A.  G. 


142  GENERAL   SHEKMAN's   GRKAT   MARCH. 

[Telegram.] 

HEADQUARTERS  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE, 

April  21,  1865—9.30  A.  M. 
To  Lieutenant- General  HAMPTON  : 

Transmit  to  General  Sherman  the  following  dispatch, 
dated  Macon,  Georgia,  April  20. 
"  To  General  G.  T.  BEAUREGARD  : 

"  On  receipt  of  your  dispatch  at  11  o'clock  to-day,  I  sent 
a  flag  of  truce  to  General  Wilson,  with  copy  of  the  same, 
and  informing  him  that  I  had  issued  orders  to  carry  out 
armistice,  desisting  from  military  operations.  The  flag 
met  the  advance  fourteen  miles  from  the  city.  Before 
hearing  from  it  the  advance  moved  on  the  city,  and  having 
moved  my  picket,  were  in  the  city  before  I  was  aware  of 
their  approach. 

"  An  unconditional  surrender  was  demanded,  to  which  I 
was  forced  to  submit,  under  protest.     General  Wilson  has 
since  arrived,  and  holds  the  city  and  garrison  as  captured, 
notwithstanding  my  protest.     He  informs  me  he  will  remain 
in  his  present  position  a  reasonable  length  of  time  to  hear 
from  his  dispatch  to  General  Sherman,  sent  to  your  care. 
"  HOWELL  COBB,  Major-General." 
J.  E.  JOHNSTON,  General. 

Official :  H.  B.  MCCLELLAN,  A.  A.  G. 


HEADQUARTERS  MILITARY  DIVISION  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI, 
In  the  Field,  Raleigh,  N.  C.,  April  21,  1865. 

General  J.  E.  JOHNSTON,  Commanding  Confederate  Army  : 

GENERAL — I  send  you  a  letter  for  General  Wilson, 
which,  if  sent  by  telegraph  and  courier,  will  check  his 
career.  He  may  distrust  the  telegraph,  therefore  better 
send  the  original,  for  he  cannot  mistake  my  handwriting, 


CORRESPONDENCE   WITH   JOHNSTON.  143 

with  which  he  is  familiar.  He  seems  to  have  his  blood  up, 
and  will  be  hard  to  hold.  If  he  can  buy  corn,  fodder, 
and  rations  down  about  Fort  Valley,  it  will  obviate  the 
necessity  of  his  going  up  to  Rome  or  Dalton. 

It  is  reported  to  me  from  Cairo  that  Mobile  is  in  our 
possession,  but  it  is  not  minute  or  official. 

'General  Baker  sent  in  to  me,  wanting  to  surrender  his 
command,  on  the  theory  that  the  whole  confederate  army 
was  surrendered.  I  explained  to  him,  or  his  staff-officer, 
the  exact  truth,  and  left  him  to  act  as  he  thought  proper. 
He  seems  to  have  disbanded  his  men,  deposited  a  few 
arms  about  twenty  miles  from  here,  and  himself  awaits 
your  action.  I  will  not  hold  him,  his  men,  or  arms  subject 
to  any  condition  other  than  the  final  one  we  may  agree  on. 

I  shall  look  for  Major  Hitchcock  back  from  Washington 
on  Wednesday,  and  shall  promptly  notify  you  of  the  re- 
sult. By  the  action  of  General  Weitzel  in  relation  to  the 
Virginia  Legislature,  I  feel  certain  we  will  have  no  trouble 
on  the  score  of  recognizing  existing  State  governments.* 
It  may  be  the  lawyers  will  want  us  to  define  more  minute- 
ly what  is  meant  by  the  guarantee  of  rights  of  person  and 
property.  It  may  be  construed  into  a  compact  for  us  to 
undo  the  past  as  to  the  rights  of  slaves  and  "  leases  of 
plantations"  on  the  Mississippi,  of  "  vacant  and  abandoned" 
plantations.  I  wish  you  would  talk  to  the  best  men  you 
have  on  these  points ;  and,  if  possible,  let  us  in  our  final 
convention  make  these  points  so  clear  as  to  leave  no  room 
for  angry  controversy. 

I  believe  if  the  South  would  simply  and  publicly  de- 
clare what  we  all  feel,  that  slavery  is  dead,  that  you 

*  President  Lincoln's  letter  authorizing,  and  the  proclamation  for 
the  assembling  of  the  Virginia  Legislature,  are  given  at  the  end  of 
this  volume. 


144  GENERAL  SHERMAN'S  GREAT  MARCH. 

would  inaugurate  an  era  of  peace  and  prosperity  that 
would  soon  efface  the  ravages  of  the  past  four  years  of  war. 
Negroes  would  remain  in  the  South,  and  afford  you  abun- 
dance 6f  cheap  labor,  which  otherwise  will  be  driven  away; 
and  it  will  save  the  country  the  senseless  discussions  which 
have  kept  us  all  in  h.ot  water  for  fifty  years. 

Although,  strictly  speaking,  this  is  no  subject  of  a  mili- 
tary convention,  yet  I  am  honestly  convinced  that  our 
simple  declaration  of  a  result  will  be  accepted  as  good  law 
everywhere.  Of  course,  I  have  not  a  single  word  from 
"Washington  on  this  or  any  other  point  of  our  agreement, 
but  I  know  the  effect  of  such  a  step  by  us  will  be  univer- 
sally accepted. 

I  am,  with  great  respect,  your  obedient  servant, 

W.  T.  SHERMAN,  Major-Gen.  U.  S.  A. 


[By  telegraph,  through  General  J.  E.  Johnston.] 

HEADQUARTERS  MILITARY  DIVISION  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI, 
In  the  Field,  Raleigh,  N.  C.,  April  21,  1865. 

General,  JAMES  H.  WILSON,  Commanding  Cavalry  Division  Missis- 
sippi— Macon,  Ga. : 

GENERAL — A  suspension  of  hostilities  was  agreed  on 
between  General  Johnston  and  myself,  on  Tuesday,  April 
18,  at  12  noon.  I  want  that  agreement  religiously  observed, 
and  you  may  release  the  generals  captured  at  Macon. 
Occupy  ground  convenient,  and  contract  for  supplies  for 
your  command,  and  forbear  any  act  of  hostility  until  you 
hear  or  have  reason  to  believe  hostilities  are  resumed.  In 
the  mean  time  it  is  also  agreed  the  position  of  the  enemy 
must  not  be  altered  to  our  prejudice. 

You  know  by  this  time  that  General  Lee  has  surrendered 
to  General  Grant  the  rebel  army  of  Northern  Virginia, 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  JOHNSTON.        14:5 

aud  that  I  only  await  the  sanction  of  the  President  to  con- 
clude terms  of  peace  coextensive  with  the  boundaries  of  the 
United  States.  You  will  shape  your  conduct  on  this  know- 
ledge, unless  you  have  overwhelming  proof  to  the  contrary. 

W.  T.  SHERMAN, 
Major-General  commanding. 

After  the  above  is  telegraphed,  this  original  should  be 
sent  to  General  Wilson  as  rapidly  as  possible. 

W.  T.  SHERMAN,  Major-General. 


HEADQUARTERS  CAVALRY  CORPS,  MILITARY  DIVISION 
OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI,  Macon,  Ga.,  April  21, 1864. 

Major-General  W.  T.  SHERMAN,  through  General  JOHNSTON  : 

Your  dispatch  of  yesterday  is  received.  I  shall  at  once 
proceed  to  carry  out  your  instructions.  If  proper  arrange- 
ments can  be  made  to  have  sugar,  coffee,  and  clothing  sent 
from  Savannah  to  Augusta,  they  can  be  brought  thither  by 
the  way  of  Atlanta  by  railroad,  or  they  can  be  sent  by  boat 
directly  to  this  place  from  Darien.  I  shall  be  able  to  get 
forage,  bread,  and*  meat  from  Southeastern  Georgia.  The 
railroad  from  Atlanta  to  Dalton  or  Cleveland  cannot  be 
repaired  in  three  months.  I  have  arranged  to  send  an 
officer  at  once,  via  Eufala,  to  General  Canby,  with  a  copy 
of  your  dispatch.  General  Cobb  will  also  notify  General 
Taylor  of  the  armistice.  I  have  about  3,000  prisoners  of 
war,  including  Generals  Cobb,  Smith,  McCall,  Mercer,  and 
Robertson.  Can  you  arrange  with  General  Johnston  for 
their  immediate  release  ?  Please  answer  at  once.  I  shall 
start  a  staff-officer  to  you  to-morrow. 

J.  H.  WILSON, 

Major-General  Brevet  commanding. 
7 


14:6  GENERAL   SHKEMAN's    GREAT    MARCH. 

[Telegram.} 

HEADQUARTERS  ARMY  OF  TENNESSEE, 

April  22fc  1865—2.30  P.  M. 

Major-General  W.    T.    SHERMAN,    Commanding    U.    8.   Forces, 
Raleigh,  N.  C.  : 

Your  telegram  to  brevet  Major-General  Wilson  is  just 
received.  I  respectfully  suggest  that  the  sentence:  "In 
the  mean  time  it  is  also  agreed  that  the  position  of  the 
enemy's  forces  must  not  be  altered  to  our  prejudice,"  be  so 
modified  as  to  read :  "  In  the  mean  time  it  is  also  agreed 
that  the  position  of  the  forces  of  neither  belligerent  shall 
be  altered  to  the  prejudice  of  the  other ;"  and  that  on  this 
principle  you  direct  Major-General  Wilson  to  withdraw 
from  Macon  and  release  its  garrison. 

J.  E.  JOHNSTON,  General. 
Official :  H.  B.  McCLEiiAN,  A.  A.  G. 


HEADQUARTERS  MILITARY  DIVISION  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI, 
In  the  Field,  Raleigh,  N.  C.,  April  23,  1865. 

General  JOSEPH  E.  JOHNSTON,  Commanding  Confederate  Army, 

Greensboro' : 

GENERAL — Your  communication  of  2.20  p.  M.  of  yester- 
day is  received.  My  line  of  communication  with  General 
Wilson  is  not  secure  enough  for  me  to  confuse  him  by  a 
change  in  mere  words.  Of  course  the  statu  quo  is  mutual, 
but  I  leave  him  to  apply  it  to  his  case  according  to  his 
surroundings.  I  would  not  instruct  him  to  undo  all  done 
by  him  between  the  actual  date  of  our  agreement  and  the 
time  the  knowledge  reached  him.  I  beg,  therefore,  to  leave 
him  free  to  apply  the  rule  to  his  own  case.  Indeed,  I  have 
almost  exceeded  the  bounds  of  prudence  in  checking  him 


CORRESPONDENCE    \VITH    JOHNSTON.  147 

without  the  means  of  direct  communication,  and  only  did 
so  on  my  absolute  Faith  in  your  personal. character. 

I  inclose  a  dispatch  for  General  Wilson,  in  cipher,  which, 
translated,  simply  advises  him  to  keep  his  command  well 
together,  and  to  act  according  to  the  best  of  his  ability, 
doing  as  little  harm  to  the  countiy  as  possible,  until  he 
knows  hostilities  are  resumed. 

I  am,  with  respect, 

W.  T.  SHERMAN, 

Major-General  U.  S.  A. 


HEADQUARTERS  MILITARY  DIVISION  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI, 
In  the  Field,  Kaleigh,  N.  C.,  April  23,  1865. 

General  WILSON  : 

Cipher  dispatch  received.  There  is  a  general  suspension 
of  hostilities,  awaiting  the  assent  of  our  new  President  to 
certain  civil  points  before  making  a  final  military  conven- 
tion of  peace.  Act  according  to  your  own  good  sense 
until  you  are  certain  the  war  is  over.  Keep  possession  of 
some  key-point  that  will  secure  your  present  advantages, 
rest  your  men  and  horses,  and  in  a  few  days  you  will  re- 
ceive either  positive  information  of  peace,  or  may  infer  the 
contrary.  Mv  messenger  should  be  back  from  Washington 
to-morrow. 

W.  T.  SHERMAN,  Major-General 


HEADQUARTERS  MILITARY  DIVISION  or  THE  MISSISSIPPI, 
In  the  Field,  Raleigh,  N.  C.,  April  23,  1865—8  P.  M. 

General  JOSEPH  E.  JOHNSTON,  Confederate  States  Army : 

Major  Hitchcock  reports  his  arrival  at  Morehead  City, 
with  dispatches  from  Washington,  and  will  be  here  in  the 


i48  GENERAL   SUEKMAJj's    GKEAT   MAECH. 

morning.     Please  be  ready  to  resume  negotiations  when 
the  contents  of  dispatches  are  known. 
Respectfully, 

W.  T.  SHERMAN, 
Major-Gen eral  United  States  Army. 


WAR  DEPARTMENT, 
Washington  City,  April  21,  1865. 

GENERAL — The  memorandum  or  basis  agreed  upon 
between  General  Sherman  and  General  Johnston  having 
been  submitted  to  the  President,  they  are  disapproved. 
You  will  give  notice  of  the  disapproval  to  General  Sher- 
man, and  direct  him  to  resume  hostilities  at  the  earliest 
moment. 

The  instructions  given  to  you  by  the  late  President, 
Abraham  Lincoln,  on  the  3d  of  March,  by  my  telegram  of 
that  date  addressed  to  you,  express  substantially  the  views 
of  President  Andrew  Johnson,  and  will  be  observed  by 
General  Sherman.  A  copy  is  herewith  appended. 

The  President  desires  that  you  proceed  immediately  to 
the  headquarters  of  General  Sherman,  and  direct  opera- 
tions against  the  enemy. 
Yours  truly, 

EDWIN  M.  STANTON,  Secretary  of  War. 
To  Lieutenant-General  GRANT. 


COPY    OF   PRESIDENT   LINCOLN'S   INSTRUCTJPNS. 

WAR  DEPARTMENT, 
Washington  Citj,  March  3,  1865. 
To  Lieutenant-General  GRANT  : 

The  President  directs  me  to  say  to  you  that  he  wishes 
you  to  have  no  conference  with  General  Lee,  unless  it  be 


CORRESPONDENCE   WITH   JOHNSTON. 

for  the  capitulation  of  General  Lee's  army,  or  on  some 
minor  and  purely  military  matter.  He  wishes  me  to  say 
that  you  are  not  to  decide,  discuss,  or  confer  upon  any  po- 
litical question.  Such  questions  the  President  holds  in  his 
own  hands,  and  will  submit  them  to  no  military  conferences 
or  conventions.  Meantime  you  are  to  press  to  your  utmost 
your  military  advantages. 

EDWIN  M.  STANTON,  Secretary  of  War. 


HEADQUARTERS  MILITARY  DIVISION  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI, 
In  the  Field,  Raleigh,  N.  C.,  April  24,  1865—6  A.  M. 

General  JOHNSTON,  Commanding  Confederate  Army,  Greensboro'  : 

You  will  take  notice  that  the  truce  or  suspension  of  hos- 
tilities agreed  to  between  us  will  cease  in  forty-eight  hours 
after  this  is  received  at  your  lines,  under  first  of  the  articles 
of  our  agreement. 

W.  T.  SHERMAN,  Major-General. 


HEADQUARTERS  MILITARY  DIVISION  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI, 
In  the  Field,  Raleigh,  April  24,  1865. 

General  WILSON,  Macon : 

The  truce  will  expire  on  the  morning  of  the  26th.  You 
will  renew  your  operations  according  to  your  original  in- 
structions. 

W.  T.  SHERMAN,  Major-General  commanding. 


150  GENERAL   SHERMAN'S   GREAT   MARCH. 

IN  THE  FIELD,  Greensboro',  April  24,  1865. 
To  Major-General  W.  T.  SHERMAN,  Commanding  : 

In  forwarding  the  following  dispatch,  I  respectfully  sug- 
gest the  propriety  of  releasing  prisoners  taken  at  Macon, 
and  withdrawal  of  General  Wilson's  troops  to  some  point 
beyond  that  at  which  he  received  from  General  Cobb  in- 
formation of  the  armistice. 

J.  E.  JOHNSTON,  General. 


HEADQUARTERS  MILITARY  DIVISION  or  THE  MISSISSIPPI, 
In  the  Field,  Raleigh,  April  24, 1865. 

General  JOHNSTON,  Commanding  Confederate  Armies : 

I  have  replies  from  Washington  to  my  communications 
of  April  18.  I  am  instructed  to  limit  my  operations  to 
your  immediate  command,  and  not  to  attempt  civil  nego- 
tiations. I  therefore  demand  the  surrender  of  your  army, 
on  the  same  terms  as  were  given  to  General  Lee  at  Ap- 
pomattox,  of  April  9,  purely  and  simply. 

W.  T.  SHERMAN,  Major- General. 


HEADQUARTERS  ARMY  OF  THE  TENNESSEE, 
In  the  Field,  April  25,  1865. 

Major-General  SHERMAN,  United  States  Army : 

Your  dispatch  of  yesterday  received.  I  propose  a  modi- 
fication of  the  terms  you  offered ;  sucli  terms  for  the  army 
as  you  wrote  on  the  18th ;  they  also  modified  according  to 
change  of  circumstances,  and  a  further  armistice  to  ar- 
range details  and  meeting  for  that  purpose. 

Jos.  E.  JOHNSTON,  General. 


CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  JOHNSTON.        151 

Major-General  W.  T.  SHERMAN,  Commanding.  United  States  Forces : 
GENERAL — I  have  had  the  honor  to  receive  your  dis- 
patch of  yesterday,  summoning  this  army  to  surrender  on 
the  terms  accepted  by  General  Lee  at  Appornattox  Court- 
house. I  propose,  instead  of  such  surrender,  terras^ based 
on  those  drawn  up  by  you  on  the  18th  for  disbanding  this 
army,  and  a  further  armistice  and  a  conference  to  arrange 
these  terms. 

The  disbanding  of  General  Lee's  army  has  afflicted  this 
country  with  numerous  bands  having  no  means  of  subsist- 
ence but  robbery.  A  knowledge  of  which  would,  I  am 
sure,  induce  you  to  agree  to  other  conditions. 

Most  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  E.  JOHNSTON,  General. 


HEADQUARTERS  MILITARY  DIVISION  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI, 
In  the  Field,  Raleigh,  April  25,  1865. 

GENERAL  JOHNSTON — I  will  meet  you  at  the  same  place 
as  before,  to-morrow,  at  12  o'clock  noon. 

W.  T.  SHERMAN,  Major-General. 


[Telegram.] 

GREENSBORO',  April  26,  1865,  2  A.  Jt. 
Miijor-General  SHERMAN,  through  General  BUTLER  : 

I  will  meet  you  at  time  and  place  you  designate.    Is 
armistice  with  status  quo  renewed  ? 

J.  E.  JOHNSTON,  General. 


152  GENERAL   6HERMAN*S    GRKAT   MAECH. 


TERMS    OF   THE   CONVENTION. 

Terms  of  a  military  convention  entered  into  this  twenty-sixth  (26th) 
day  of  April,  1865,  at  Bennett's  house,  near  Durham's  Station, 
North  Carolina,  between  General  JOSEPH  E.  JOHNSTON,  command- 
ing the  Confederate  Army,  and  Major-General  W.  T.  SHERMAN, 
commanding  the  United  States  Army  in  North  Carolina. 

ALL  acts  of  war  on  the  part  of  the  troops  under  General 
Johnston's  command  to  cease  from  this  date.  All  arms 
and  public  property  to  be  deposited  at  Greensboro',  and 
delivered  to  an  ordnance  officer  of  the  United  States  Army. 
Rolls  of  all  the  officers  and  men  to  be  made  in  duplicate, 
one  copy  to  be  retained  by  the  commander  of  the  troops, 
and  the  other  to  be  given  to  an  officer  to  be  designated  by 
General  Sherman.  Each  officer  and  man  to  give  his  in- 
dividual obligation  in  writing  not  to  take  up  arms  against 
the  Government  of  the  United  States  until  properly  re- 
leased from  this  obligation.  The  side-arms  of  officers  and 
their  private  horses  and  baggage  to  be  retained  by  them. 

This  being  done,  all  the  officers  and  men  will  be  per- 
mitted to  return  to  their  homes,  not  to  be  disturbed  by 
the  United  States  authorities  so  long  as  they  observe  their 
obligations  and  the  laws  in  force  where  they  may  reside. 

W.  T.  SHERMAN,  Major-General, 

Com.  U.  S.  Forces  in  North  Carolina. 
J.  E.  JOHNSTON,  General, 

Com.  C.  S.  Forces  in  North  Carolina. 
Approved :  U.  S.  GRANT,  Lieutenant-General. 
RALEIGH,  N.  C.,  April  26,  1865. 


ORDERS   ON   PEACE.  153 


GENERAL  SHERMAN'S  ORDERS  ON  PEACE. 


SPECIAL  FIELD  ORDER,  No.  58. 

HEADQUARTERS  MILITARY  DIVISION  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI, 
In  the  Field,  Raleigh,  N.  C.,  April  19,  1865. 

The  general  commanding  announces  to  the  army  a  sus- 
pension of  hostilities,  and  an  agreement  with  General 
Johnston  and  high  officials,  which,  when  formally  ratified, 
will  make  peace  from  the  Potomac  to  the  Rio  Grande. 
Until  the  absolute  peace  is  arranged,  a  line  passing  through 
Tyrrell's  Mount,  Chapel  University,  Durham's  Station,  and 
West  Point,  on  the  Neuse  River,  will  separate  the  two 
armies.  Each  army  commander  will  group  his  camps  en- 
tirely with  a  view  to  comfort,  health,  and  good  police. 
All  the  details  of  military  discipline  must  still  be  maintained, 
and  the  general  hopes  and  believes  that  in  a  very  few  days 
it  will  be  his  good  fortune  to  conduct  you  all  to  your 
homes.  The  fame  of  this  army  for  courage,  industry,  and 
discipline  is  admitted  all  over  the  world.  Then  let  each 
officer  and  man  see  that  it  is  not  stained  by  any  act  of 
vulgarity,  rowdyism,  and  petty  crime.  The  cavalry  will 
patrol  the  front  of  the  line.  General  Howard  will  take 
charge  of  the  district  from  Raleigh,  up  to  the  cavalry, 
General  Slocum  to  the  left  of  Raleigh  and  General  Scho- 
field  in  Raleigh  right  and  rear.  Quartermasters  and  com- 
missiaries  will  keep  their  supplies  up  to  a  light  load  for 


GENERAL    SHERMAN'S    GREAT   MARCH. 

the  wagons,  and  the  railroad  superintendent  will  arrange 
a  depot  for  the  convenience  of  each  separate  army. 
By  order  of 

MAJOR-GENERAL  W.  T.  SHERMAN. 
L.  M.  DAYTON,  A.  A.  G. 


SPECIAL  FIELD  ORDERS,  No.  65. 

HEADQUARTERS  MILITARY  DIVISION  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI, 
In  the  Field,  Kaleigh,  N.  C.,  April  27,  1865. 

The  general  commanding  announces  a  further  sus- 
pension of  hostilities,  and  a  final  agreement  with  General 
Johnston,  which  terminates  the  war  as  to  the  armies  under 
his  command  and  the  country  east  of  the  Chattahoochie. 

Copies  of  the  terms  of  convention  will  be  furnished 
Major-Generals  Schofield,  Gillmore,  and  Wilson,  who  are 
specially  charged  with  the  execution  of  its  details  in  the 
Department  of  North  Carolina,  Department  of  the  South, 
and  at  Macon  and  Western  Georgia. 

Captain  Myers,  ordnance  department,  United  States 
Army,  is  hereby  designated  to  receive  the  arms,  etc.,  at 
Greensboro'.  Any  commanding  officer  of  a  post  may  re- 
ceive the  arms  of  any  detachment,  and  sec  that  they  are 
properly  stored  and  accounted  for. 

General  Schofield  will  procure  at  once  the  necessary 
blanks,  and  supply  the  other  army  commanders,  that 
uniformity  may  prevail ;  and  great  care  must  be  taken  that 
all  the  terms  and  stipulations  on  our  part  be  fulfilled  with 
the  most  scrupulous  fidelity,  while  those  imposed  on  our 
hitherto  enemies  will  be  received  in  a  spirit  becoming  a 
brave  and  generous  army. 

Army  commanders  may  at  once  loan  to  the  inhabitants 


OliDERS   ON    PEACE.  155 

such  of  the  captured  mules,  horses,  wagons,  and  vehicles 
as  can  be  spared  from  immediate  use ;  and  the  commanding 
generals  of  armies  may  issue  provisions,  animals,  or  any 
public  supplies  that  can  be  spared,  to  relieve  present  wants, 
and  to  encourage  the  inhabitants  to  renew  their  peaceful 
pursuits,  and  to  restore  the  relations  of  friendship  among 
our  fellow-citizens  and  countrymen. 

Foraging  will  forthwith  cease,  and  when  necessity  or 
long  marches  compel  the  taking  of  forage,  provisions,  or 
any  kind  of  private  property,  compensation  will  be  made 
on  the  spot ;  or,  when  the  disbursing  officers  are  not  pro- 
vided with  funds,  vouchers  will  be  given  in  proper  form, 
payable  at  the  nearest  military  depot. 
By  order  of 

MAJOR-GEN.  W.  T.  SHERMAN. 

L.  M.  DAYTON,  Assistant  Adjutant-General. 


SPECIAL  FIELD  ORDERS,  No.  66. 

HEADQUARTERS  MILITARY  DIVISION  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI, 
In  the  Field,  Raleigh,  N.  C.,  April  27,  1865. 

Hostilities  having  ceased,  the  following  changes  and 
dispositions  of  the  troops  in  the  field  will  be  made  with-  as 
little  delay  as  practicable  : 

I.  The  Tenth  and  Twenty-third  corps  will  remain  in  the 
Department  of  North  Carolina,  and  Major-General  J.  M. 
Schofield  will  transfer  back  to  Major-General  Gillmore, 
commanding  Department  of  the  South,  the  two  brigades 
formerly  belonging  to  the  division  of  brevet  Major-General 
Grover,  at  Savannah.  The  Third  division,  cavalry  corps, 
brevet  Major-General  J.  Kilpatrick  commanding,  is  hereby 
transferred  to  the  Department  of  North  Carolina,  and 


156       GENERAL  SHERMAN^  GREAT  MARCH. 

General  Kilpatrick  will  report  in  person  to  Major-General 
Schofield  for  orders. 

II.  The  cavalry  command  of  Major-Gen.  George  Stone- 
man  will  return  to  East  Tennessee,  and  that  of  brevet 
Major-General  J.  H.  Wilson  will   be  conducted  back  to 
the  Tennessee   River,  in  the   neighborhood   of  Decatur, 
Alabama. 

III.  Major-General  Howard  will  conduct  the  Army  of 
the  Tennessee  to  Richmond,  Va.,  following  roads  substan- 
tially by    Lewisburg,   Warrenton,    Lawrenceville,     and 
Petersburg,  or  to  the  right  of  that  line.     Major-General 
Slocum  will  conduct  the  Army  of  Georgia  to  Richmond  by 
roads  to  the  left  of  the  one  indicated  for  General  Howard, 
viz.,  by  Oxford,    Boydton,    and   Nottoway    Court-house. 
These  armies  will  turn  in  at  this  point  the  contents  of  their 
ordnance  trains,  and  use  the  wagons  for  extra  forage  and 
provisions.     These  columns  will  be  conducted  slowly  and 
in  the  best  of  order,  and  aim  to  be  at  Richmond,  ready  to 
resume  the  march,  by  the  middle  of  May. 

IV.  The    chief-quartermaster    and    commissary  of  the 
military  division,    Generals   Easton  and  Beckwith,  after 
making  proper  dispositions  of  their  departments  here,  will 
proceed  to  Richmond  and  make  suitable  preparations  to 
receive  those  columns,  and  to  provide  them  for  the  further 
journey. 

By  order  of 

MAJOR-GEN.  W.  T.  SHERMAN. 
L.  M.  DAYTON,  Assistant  Adjutant-General. 


ADDKESS  OF  GENERAL  JOHNSTON.         157 


ADDRESS  OF  GENERAL  JOHNSTON 


TO     THE     PEOPLE     OF   THE     SOUTHERN     STATES, 


[The  subjoined  "card"  of  the  Confederate  commander  is  of  considerable 
interest,  inasmuch  as  it  points  out  the  influences  that  prompted  him  to  sur- 
render, and  states  the  number  of  troops  he  had  at  the  time  thereof  under 
his  control.] 

[From  the  Charlotte  (N.  C.)  Democrat.] 

WE  lay  before  our  readers  the  following  letter  from  Gen. 
Joseph  E.  Johnston,  stating  the  causes  which  induced  him 
to  make  terms  of  surrender  with  General  Sherman.  We 
believe  General  Johnston's  conduct,  and  his  refusal  to  con- 
tinue the  war  after  all  hope  of  success  was  vain,  is  gener- 
ally approved ;  but,  if  any  one  has  a  doubt  on  this  point, 
the  reasons  set  forth  by  General  Johnston  will  clearly  show 
that  he  acted  correctly  and  wisely : 

CHARLOTTE,  N.  C.,  May  6,  1865. 

Having  made  a  convention  with  Major-General  Sherman 
to  terminate  hostilities  in  North  and  South  Carolina, 
Georgia,  and  Florida,  it  seems  to  me  proper  to  put  before 
the  people  of  those  States  the  condition  of  military  affairs 
which  rendered  that  measure  absolutely  necessary. 

On  the  26th  of  April,  the  day  of  the  convention,  by  the 
returns  of  three  lieutenant-generals  of  the  Army  of  Ten- 
nessee (that  under  my  command),  the  number  of  infantry 
and  artillery  present  and  absent  was  70,510  ;  the  total 


158  GENERAL    SHERMAN'S    GREAT    MARCH. 

present  18,578 ;  the  effective  total,  or  fighting  force,  14,179. 
On  the  7th  of  April,  the  date  of  the  last  return  I  can  find, 
the  effective  total  of  the  cavalry  was  5,440.  But  between 
the  7th  and  26th  April  it  was  greatly  reduced  by  events  in 
Virginia  and  apprehensions  of  surrender.  In  South  Caro- 
lina we  had  Young's  division  of  cavalry,  less  than  one 
thousand,  besides  reserves  and  State  troops — together  much 
inferior  to  the  Federal  force  in  that  State.  In  Florida,  we 
were  as  weak.  In  Georgia,  our  inadequate  force  had  been 
captured  at  Macon.  In  Lieutenant-Gencral  Taylor's  de- 
partment, there  were  no  means  of  opposing  the  formidable 
army  under  General  Canby,  which  had  taken  Mobile ;  nor 
the  cavalry  under  General  Wilson,  which  had  captured 
every  other  place  of  importance  west  of  Augusta.  The 
latter  had  been  stopped  at  Macon  by  the  armistice,  as  we 
had  been  at  Greensboro',  but  its  distance  from  Augusta 
being  less  than  half  of  ours,  that  place  was  in  its  power. 

To  carry  on  the  war,  therefore,  we  had  to  depend  upon 
the  Army  of  the  Tennessee  alone.  The  United  States 
could  have  brought  against  it  twelve  or  fifteen  times  its 
number  in  the  armies  of  Generals  Grant,  Sherman,  and 
Canby.  With  such  odds  against  us,  without  the  means  of 
procuring  ammunition  or  repairing  arms,  without  money 
or  credit  to  provide  food,  it  was  impossible  to  continue  the 
war  except  as  robbers.  The  consequence  of  prolonging 
the  struggle  would  only  have  been  the  destruction  or  dis- 
persion of  our  bravest  men,  and  great  suffering  of  women 
and  children  by  the  desolation  and  ruin  inevitable  from  the 
marching  of  two  hundred  thousand  men  through  the 
country. 

Having  failed  in  an  attempt  to  obtain  terms  giving  se- 
curity to  citizens  as  well  as  soldiers,  I  had  to  choose  be- 
tween wantonly  bringing  the  evils  of  war  upon  those  I  had 


ADDEES8  OF  GENERAL  JOHNSTON.        159 

chosen  to  defend,  and  averting  those  calamities  with  the 
confession  that  hopes  were  dead,  which  every  thinking 
Southern  man  had  already  lost.  I  therefore  stipulated 
with  General  Sherman  for  the  security  of  the  brave  and 
true  men  committed  to  me  on  terms  which  also  terminated 
hostilities  in  all  the  country  over  which  my  command  ex- 
tended, and  announced  it  to  your  Governors  by  telegrapt 
as  follows : 

"The  disaster  in  Virginia,  the  capture  by  the  enemy  of 
all  our  workshops  for  the  preparation  of  ammunition  and 
repairing  of  arms,  the  impossibility  of  recruiting  our  little 
army,  opposed  to  more  than  ten  times  its  number,  or  of 
supplying  it,  except  by  robbing  our  own  citizens,  destroyed 
all  hope  of  successful  war.  I  have  therefore  made  a  mili- 
tary convention  with  Major-General  Sherman  to  terminate 
hostilities  in  North  and  South  Carolina,  Georgia,  and  Flor- 
ida. I  made  this  convention  to  spare  the  blood  of  this 
gallant  little  army,  to  prevent  further  suffering  of  our 
people  by  the  devastation  and  ruin  inevitable  from  the 
marches  of  invading  armies,  and  to  avoid  the  crime  of 

waging  a  hopeless  war." 

J.  E.  JOHNSTON. 


160  GENEEAL   SHERMAN'S   GREAT   MARCH. 


GENERAL  SHERMAN'S  EXAMINATION 

BEFORE  THE  CONGRESSIONAL  COMMITTEE  ON  THE  CONDUCT  OF  THE 
WAR,  RELATIVE  TO  HIS  CONFERENCE  WITH  GENERAL  JOSEPH  E. 
JOHNSTON. 


MAJOR-GENERAL  SHERMAN  being  sworn  and  examined  : 

JBy  the  Chairman — 

Q.  What  is  your  rank  in  the  army  ?  A.  I  am  major- 
general  in  the  regular  army. 

Q.  As  your  negotiation  with  the  rebel  General  Johnston, 
in  relation  to  his  surrender,  has  been  the  subject  of  much 
public  comment,  the  committee  desire  you  to  state  all  the 
facts  and  circumstances  in  regard  to  it,  or  which  you  wish 
the  public  to  know.  A.  On  the  15th  day  of  April  last  I 
was  at  Raleigh,  in  command  of  three  armies,  the  Army  of 
the  -Ohio,  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  and  the  Army  of 
the  Tennessee ;  my  enemy  was  General  Joseph  E.  John- 
ston, of  the  Confederate  army,  who  commanded  fifty  thou- 
sand men,  retreating  along  the  railroad  from  Raleigh,  by 
Hillsboro',  Greensboro',  Salisbury,  and  Charlotte.  I  com- 
menced pursuit  by  crossing  the  curve  of  that  road  in  the 
direction  of  Ashboro'  and  Charlotte.  After  the  head  of 
my  column  had  crossed  the  Cape  Fear  River  at  Aven's 
Ferry,  I  received  a  communication  from  General  Johnston, 
and  answered  it,  copies  of  which  I  most  promptly  sent  to 
the  War  Department,  with  a  letter  addressed  to  the  sec- 
retary of  war,  as  follows  : 


GF.NKRAL  SIIKRMAN'S  EXAMINATION.  1G1 

HEADQUARTERS  MILITARY  DIVISION  or  THE  MISSISSIPPI, 
In  the  Field,  Raleigh,  N.  C.,  April  15. 

General  U.  S.  GRANT  and  Secretary  of  War : 

I  send  copies  of  a  correspondence  to  you  with  General  Johnston, 
which  I  think  will  be  followed  by  terms  of  capitulation.  I  will 
grant  the  same  terms  General  Grant  gave  General  Lee,  and  be  care- 
ful not  to  complicate  any  points  of  civil  policy.  If  any  cavalry  has 
retreated  towards  me,  caution  them  to  be  prepared  to  find  our  work 
done.  It  is  now  raining  in  torrents,  and  I  shall  await  General 
Johnston's  reply  here,  and  will  prepare  to  meet  him  in  person  at 
Chapel  Hill. 

I  have  invited  Governor  Vance  to  return  to  Raleigh  with  the 
civil  officers  of  his  State.  I  have  met  ex-Governor  Graham,  Messrs. 
Badger,  Moore,  Holden,  and  others,  all  of  whom  agree  that  the  war 
is  over,  and  that  the  States  of  the  South  must  resume  their  alle- 
giance, subject  to  the  Constitution  and  laws  of  Congress,  and  must 
submit  to  the  national  arms.  This  great  fact  was  admitted,  and  the 
details  are  of  easy  arrangement. 

W.  T  SHEHHAN,  Major-General. 

I  met  General  Johnston,  in  person,  at  a  house  five  miles 
from  Durham's  Station,  under  a  flag  of  truce.  After  a  few 
preliminary  remarks  he  said  to  me,  since  Lee  had  surren- 
dered his  army  at  Appomattox  Court-house,  of  which  he 
had  just  been  advised,  he  looked  upon  further  opposition 
by  him  as  the  greatest  possible  of  crimes ;  that  he  wanted 
to  know  whether  I  could  make  him  any  general  concessions ; 
any  thing  by  which  he  could  maintain  his  hold  and  control 
of  his  army,  and  prevent  its  scattering ;  any  thing  to  satisfy 
the  great  yearning  of  their  people.  If  so,  he  thought  he 
could  arrange  terms  satisfactory  to  both  parties.  He 
wanted  to  embrace  the  condition  and  fate  of  all  the  armies 
of  the  Southern  Confederacy  to  the  Rio  Grande,  to  make 
one  job  of  it,  as  he  termed  it. 

I  asked  him  what  his  powers  were, — whether  he  could 


162  GKNRRAL   SHERMAN'S    GREAT   MARCII. 

command  and  control  the  fate  of  all  the  armies  to  the  Rio 
Grande.  He  answered  that  he  thought  he  could  obtain 
the  power,  but  he  did  not  possess  it  that  moment ;  he  did 
not  know  where  Mr.  Davis  was,  but  he  thought  it'  I  could 
give  him  the  time,  he  could  find  Mr.  Breckinridge,  whose 
orders  would  be  obeyed  everywhere,  and  he  could  pledge 
me  his  personal  faith  that  whatever  he  undertook  to  do 
would  be  done. 

I  had  had  frequent  correspondence  with  the  late  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  with  the  secretary  of  war,  with 
General  Halleck,  and  with  General  Grant,  and  the  general 
impression  left  upon  my  mind  was,  that  if  a  settlement  could 
be  made,  consistent  with  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States,  the  laws  of  Congress,  and  the  proclamation  of  the 
President,  they  would  not  only  be  willing,  but  pleased  to 
terminate  the  war  by  one  single  stroke  of  the  pen. 

I  needed  time  to  finish  the  railroad  from  the  Neuse 
Bridge  up  to  Raleigh,  and  thought  I  could  put  in  four  or 
five  days  of  good  time  in  making  repairs  to  my  road,  even 
if  I  had  to  send  propositions  to  Washington.  I  therefore 
consented  to  delay  twenty-four  hours,  to  enable  General 
Johnston  to  procure  what  would  satisfy  me  as  to  la's  au- 
thority and  ability,  as  a  military  man,  to  do  what  he  under- 
took to  do.  I  therefore  consented  to  meet  him  the  next 
day,  the  17th,  at  12  o'clock  noon,  at  the  same  place. 

We  did  meet  again;  after  a  general  interchange  of 
courtesies,  he  remarked  that  he  was  then  prepared  to  sat- 
isfy me  that  he  could  fulfil  the  terms  of  our  conversation 
of  the  day  before.  He  then  asked  me  what  I  was  willing 
to  do.  I  told  him,  in  the  first  place,  I  could  not  deal  with 
anybody  except  men  recognized  by  us  as  "  belligerents," 
because  no  military  man  could  go  beyond  that  fact.  The 
attorney-general  has  since  so  decided,  and  any  man  of 


GENERAL    SliEKMAN^    EXAMINATION.  163 

common  sense  so  understood  it  before ;  there  was  no 
difference  japon  that  point  as  to  the  men  and  officers  ac- 
companying the  Confederate  armies.  I  told  him  that  the 
President  of  the  United  States,  by  a  published  proclama- 
tion, had  enabled  every  man  in  the  Southern  Confederate 
army,  of  the  rank  of  colonel  and  under,  to  procure  and 
obtain  amnesty,  by  simply  taking  the  oath  of  allegiance  to 
the  United  States,  and  agreeing  to  go  to  his  home  and 
live  in  peace.  The  terms  of  General  Grant  to  General 
Lee  extended  the  same  principles  to  the  officers,  of  the 
rank  of  brigadier-general  and  upward,  including  the  high- 
est officer  in  the  Confederate  army,  viz.,  General  Lee,  the 
commander-in-chief.  I  was,  therefore,  willing  to  proceed 
with  him  upon  the  same  principles. 

Then  a  conversation  arose  as  to  what  form  of  govern- 
ment they  were  to  have  in  the  South.  Were  the  States 
there  to  be  dissevered,  and  were  the  people  to  be  denied 
representation  in  Congress  ?  Were  the  people  there  to  be, 
in  the  common  language  of  the  people  of  the  South,  slaves 
to  the  people  of  the  North  ?  Of  course,  I  said  "No;  we 
desire  that-  you  shall  regain  your  position  as  citizens  of  the 
United  States,  free  and  equal  to  us  in  all  respects,  and 
wish  representation  upon  the  condition  of  submission  to 
the  lawful  authority  of  the  United  States  as  defined  by 
the  Constitution,  the  United  States  courts,  and  the  author- 
ities of  the  United  States  supported  by  those  courts."  He 
then  remarked  to  me  that  General  Breckinridge,  a  major- 
general  in  the  Confederate  army,  was  near  by,  and  if  I  had 
no  objection  he  would  like  to  have  him  present.  I  called 
his  attention  to  the  fact  that  I  had,  on  the  day  before,  ex- 
plained to  him  that  any  negotiations  between  us  must  be 
confined  to  belligerents.  He  replied  that  he  understood 
that  perfectly.  "  But,"  said  he,  "  Breckinridge,  whom 


l&l  GENERAL   SHERMAN^    GREAT   MARCH. 

you  do  not  know,  save  by  public  rumor  as  secretary  of 
war,  is,  in  fact,  a  major-general ;  I  give  you  my  word  for 
that.  Have  you  any  objection  to  his  being  present  as  a 
major-general  ?"  I  replied,  "  I  have  no  objection  to  any 
military  officer  you  desire  being  present  as  a  part  of  your 
personal  staff."  I,  myself,  had  my  own  officers  near  me  at 
call. 

Breckin  ridge  came,  a  stranger  to  me,  whom  I  had  never 
spoken  to  in  my  life,  and  he  joined  in  the  conversation  ; 
while  that  conversation  was  going  on  a  courier  arrived  and 
handed  to  General  Johnston  a  package  of  papers ;  he  and 
Breckinridge  sat  down  and  looked  over  them  for  some 
time,  and  put  them  away  in  their  pockets  :  what  they  were, 
I  knew  not,  but  one  of  them  was  a  slip  of  paper,  written, 
as  General  Johnston  told  me,  by  Mr.  Reagan,  postmaster- 
general  of  the  Southern  Confederacy  :  they  seemed  to  talk 
about  it  sotto  voce,  and  finally  handed  it  to  me  ;  I  glanced 
over  it ;  it  was  preceded  by  a  preamble  and  closed  with  a 
few  general  terms:  I  rejected  it  at  once. 

We  then  discussed  matters  ;  talked  about  slavery,  talked 
about  every  thing.  There  was  a  universal  assent  that 
slavery  was  as  dead  as  any  thing  could  be ;  that  it  was  one 
of  the  issues  of  the  war  long  since  determined  ;  and  even 
General  Johnston  laughed  at  the  folly  of  the  Confederate 
government  in  raising  negro  soldiers,  whereby  they  gave 
us  all  the  points  of  the  case.  I  told  them  that  slavery  had 
been  treated  by  us  as  a  dead  institution,  first  by  one  class 
of  men  from  the  initiation  of  the  war,  and  then  from  the 
date  of  the  Emancipation  Proclamation  of  President  Lin- 
coln, and  finally  by  the  assent  of  all  parties.  As  to  recon- 
struction, I  told  them  I  did  not  know  what  the  views  of 
the  administration  were.  Mr.  Lincoln,  up  to  that  time, 
in  letters  and  by  telegrams  to  me,  encouraged  me  by  all 


GENERAL   SHEEMAN's   EXAMINATION.  165 

the  words  which  could  be  used  in  general  terms,  to  believe, 
not  only  in  his  willingness,  but  in  his  desires  that  I  should 
make  terms  with  civil  authorities,  governors,  and  legisla- 
tures, even  as  far  back  as  1863.  It  then  occurred  to  me 
that  I  might  write  off  some  general  propositions,  meaning 
little  or  meaning  much,  according  to  the  construction  of 
parties — what  I  would  term  "glittering  generalities" — 
and  send  them  to  Washington,  which  I  could  do  in  four 
days.  That  would  enable  the  new  President  to  give  me  a 
clue  to  his  policy  in  the  important  juncture  which  was  then 
upon  us,  for  the  war  was  over ;  the  highest  military  author- 
ities of  the  Southern  Confederacy  so  confessed  to  me  open- 
ly, unconcealedly,  and  repeatedly.  I  therefore  drew  up 
the  memorandum  (which  has  been  published  to  the  world)* 
for  the  purpose  of  referring  it  to  the  proper  executive 
authority  of  the  United  States,  and  enabling  him  to  define 
to  me  what  I  might  promise,  simply  to  cover  the  pride  of 
the  Southern  men,  who  thereby  became  subordinate  to  the 
laws  of  the  United  States,  civil  and  military.  I  made  no 
concessions  to  General  Johnston's  army,  or  the  troops 
under  his  direction  and  immediate  control ;  and  if  any  con- 
cessions were  made  in  those  general  terms,  they  were 
made  because  I  then  believed,  and  now  believe,  they  would 
have  delivered  into  the  hands  of  the  United  States  the 
absolute  control  of  every  Confederate  officer  and  soldier, 
all  their  muster-rolls,  and  all  their  arms.  It  would  save  us 
all  the  incidental  expense  resulting  from  the  military  occu- 
pation of  that  country  by  provost-marshals,  provost-guards, 
military  governors,  and  all  the  machinery  by  which  alone 
military  power  can  reach  the  people  of  a  civilized  country. 
It  would  have  surrendered  to  us  the  armies  of  Dick  Tay- 

*  Printed  in  the  last  chapter  of  this  volume. 


166  GKNEKAL  SHERMAN'S  GEE  AT  MARCH. 

lor  and  Kirby  Smith,  both  of  them  capable  of  doing  in- 
finite mischief  to  us,  by  exhausting  the  resources  of  the 
whole  country  upon  which  we  were  to  depend  for  the 
future  extinguishment  of  our  debt,  forced  upon  us  by  their 
wrongful  and  rebellious  conduct.  I  never  designed  to 
shelter  a  human  being  from  any  liability  incurred  in  con- 
sequence of  past  acts  to  the  civil  tribunals  of  our  country, 
and  I  <lo  not  believe  a  fair  and  manly  interpretation  of  my 
terms  can  so  construe  them,  for  the  words  "  United  States 
courts,"  "United  States  authorities,"  "limitations  of  ex- 
ecutive power,"  occur  in  every  paragraph.  And  if  they 
seemingly  yield  terms  better  than  the  public  would  desire 
to  be  given  to  the  Southern  people,  if  studied  closely  and 
well  it  will  be  found  that  there  is  an  absolute  submission 
on  their  part  to  the  Government  of  the  United  States, 
either  through  its  executive,  legislative,  or  judicial  author- 
ities. Every  step  in  the  programme  of  these  negotiations 
was  reported  punctually,  clearly,  and  fully,  by  the  most 
rapid  means  of  communication  that  I  had.  And  yet  I 
neglected  not  one  single  precaution  necessary  to  reap  the 
full  benefits  of  my  position,  in  case  the  Government  amend- 
ed, altered,  or  absolutely  annulled  those  terms.  As  those 
matters  were  necessarily  mingled  with  the  military  history 
of  the  period,  I  would  like,  at  this  point,  to  submit  to  the 
committee  my  official  report,  which  has  been  in  the  hands 
of  the  proper  officer,  Brigadier-General  Rawlings,  chief  of 
staff1  of  the  Army  of  the  United  States,  since  about  the 
12th  inst.  It  was  made  by  me  at  Manchester,  Va.,  after 
I  had  returned  from  Savannah,  whither  I  went  to  open  up 
the  Savannah  River,  and  reap  the  fruits  of  my  negotiations 
with  General  Johnston,  and  to  give  General  Wilson's  force 
in  the  interior  a  safe  and  sure  base  from  which  he  could 
draw  the  necessary  supply  of  clothing  and  food  for  his 


GENERAL   SHERMAN^S    EXAMINATION.  167 

command.  It  was  only  after  I  fulfilled  all  this  that  I 
learned  for  the  first  time,  through  the  public  press,  that 
my  conduct  had  been  animadverted  upon,  not'  only  by  the 
secretary  of  war,  but  by  General  Halleck  and  the  press  of 
the  country  at  large.*  I  did  feel  hurt  and  annoyed  that 
Mr.  Stanton  coupled  with  the  terms  of  my  memorandum, 
confided  to  him,  a  copy  of  a  telegram  to  General  Grant, 
which  he  had  never  sent  to  me.  He  knew,  on  the  con- 
trary, that  when  he  was  at  Savannah,  I  had  negotia- 
tions with  civil  parties  there,  for  he  was  present  in  my 
room  when  those  parties  were  conferring  with  me;  and  I 
wrote  him  a  letter,  setting  forth  many  points  of  it,  in 
which  I  said  I  aimed  to  make  a  split  in  Jeff.  Davis's  do- 
minions, by  segregating  Georgia  from  their  course.  Those 
were  civil  negotiations,  and,  far  from  being  discouraged 
from  making  them,  I  was  encouraged  by  Secretary  Stan- 
ton  himself  to  make  them. 

By  coupling  the  note  to  General  Grant  with  my  memo- 
randum, he  gave  the  world  fairly  and  clearly  to  infer  that 
I  was  in  possession  of  it.  Now  I  was  not  in  possession  of 
it,  and  I  have  reason  to  know  that  Mr.  Stanton  knew\[  was 
not  in  possession  of  it.  Next  met  me  General  Halleck's 
telegram,  indorsed  by  Mr.  Stanton,  in  which  they  publicly 
avowed  an  act  of  perfidy — namely,  the  violation  of  my 
terms,  which  I  had  a  right  to  make,  and  which,  by  the 
laws  of  war  and  by  the  laws  of  Congress,  is  punishable  by 
death,  and  no  other  punishment.*  Next,  they  ordered  an 
army  to  pursue  my  enemy,  who  was  known  to  be  surren- 
dering to  me,  in  the  presence  of  General  Grant  himself, 
their  superior  officer ;  and,  finally,  they  sent  orders  to  Gen- 


*  Secretary  Stanton's  and  General  Halleck's  "animadversions" 
are  given  in  the  concluding  chapter. 


168  GUNEKAL  SHKKMAN'S  GKKAT  MARCH. 

eral  Wilson  and  to  General  Thomas — my  subordinates, 
acting  under  me  on  a  plan  of  the  most  magnificent  scale, 
admirably  executed — to  defeat  my  orders,  and  to  thwart 
the  interests  of  the  Government  of  the  United  States.  I 
did  feel  indignant — I  do  feel  indignant.  As  to  my  awn 
honor,  I  can  protect  it.  In  my  letter  of  the  loth  of  April 
I  used  this  language :  "  I  have  invited  Governor  Vance  to 
return  to  Raleigh,  with  the  civil  officers  of  his  State."  I 
did  so  because  President  Lincoln  had  himself  encouraged 
me  to  a  similar  course  with  the  governor  of  Georgia,  when 
I  was  in  Atlanta.  And  here  was  the  opportunity  which 
the  secretary  of  war  should  have  taken  to  put  me  on  my 
guard  against  making  terms  with  civil  authorities,  if  such 
were  the  settled  policy  of  our  Government.  Had  President 
Lincoln  lived,  I  know  he  would  have  sustained  me. 

The  following  is  my  report,  which  I  desire  to  have  in- 
corporated into,  and  made  part  of,  my  testimony  : 

[General  Sherman  here  introduced  his  official  Report,  dated,  "  City  Point, 
Fa.,  May  9,"  which  forms  Part  IV.  of  this  work.] 

Q.  Did  you  have,  near  Fortress  Monroe,  a  conference 
with  President  Lincoln ;  and  if  so,  about  what  time  ?  A.  I 
met  General  Grant  and  Mr.  Lincoln  on  board  a  steamboat, 
lying  at  the  wharf  at  City  Point,  during  the  evening  of  the 
27th  of  March;  I  resumed  my  visit  to  the  President  on 
board  the  same  steamer  anchored  in  the  stream  the  follow- 
ing day,  General  Grant  being  present  on  both  occasions. 

Q.  In  those  conferences  was  any  arrangement  made  with 
you  and  General  Grant,  or  either  of  you,  in  regard  to  the 
manner  of  arranging  business  with  the  Confederacy  in  re- 
gard to  terms  of  peace  ?  A.  Nothing  definite  ;  it  was 
simply  a  matter  of  general  conversation,  nothing  specific 
and  definite. 


GENERAL   SHKKMAN's   EXAMINATION.  169 

Q.  At  what  time  did  you  learn  that  President  Lincoln 
had  assented  to  the  assembling  of  the  Virginia  rebel  Legis- 

o  o  o 

lature  ?  A.  I  knew  of  it  on  the  18th  of  April,  I  think,  but 
I  procured  a  paper  with  the  specific  order  of  General  Weit- 
zel,  also  a  copy  of  the  amnesty  proclamation  on  the  20th 
of  April. 

Q.  You  did  not  know,  at  that  time,  that  that  arrangement 
had  been  rescinded  by  the  President  ?  A.  No,  sir ;  I  did 
not  know  that  until  afterwards ;  the  moment  I  heard  of  that 
I  notified  General  Johnston  of  it. 

Q.  Then  at  the  time  you  entered  into  this  arrangement 
with  General  Johnston,  you  knew  that  General  Weitzel 
had  approved  of  the  calling  together  of  the  rebel  Legis- 
lature of  Virginia,  by  the  assent  of  the  President  ?  A.  I 
knew  of  it  by  some  source  unofficially;  I  succeeded  in  get- 
ting a  copy  of  the  paper  containing  General  Weitzel's  or- 
der on  the  20th  or  21st  of  April.* 

Q.  But  at  the  time  of  your  arrangement  you  did  not 
know  that  that  order  had  been  rescinded  ?  A.  No,  sir ;  I 
learned  that  several  days  afterwards,  and  at  once  sent  word 
to  General  Johnston. 

Q.  At  the  time  of  your  arrangement  you  also  knew 
of. the  surrender  of  Lee's  army,  and  the  terms  of  that  sur- 
render ?  A.  I  had  that  officially  from  General  Grant ;  I 
got  that  at  Smithfield,  on  the  12th  of  April. 

Q.  I  have  what  purports  to  be  a  letter  from  you  to  John- 
ston, which  seems  to  imply  that  you  intended  to  make  the 
arrangement  on  the  terms  of  Lee's  surrender.  The  letter  is 
as  follows : 


*  The  "  call"  for  the  Virginia  Legislature  is  given  at  the  end  of 
this  work-. 

8 


170  GENERAL   BHEKMAN!8    GREAT   MARCH. 

HEADQUARTERS  MILITARY  DIVISION  or  THE  MISSISSIPPI, 
In  the  Field,  Raleigh,  N.  C.,  April  14. 

General  J.  E.  JOHNSTON,  Commanding  Confederate  Army : 

GENERAL — I  have  this  moment  received  your  communication  of 
this  date.  I  am  fully  empowered  to  arrange  with  you  any  time  for 
the  suspension  of  further  hostilities  as  between  the  armies  com- 
manded by  myself  and  you,  and  will  be  willing  to  confer  with  you 
to  that  end.  I  will  limit  the  advance  of  my  main  column  to-mor- 
row to  Morristown,  and  the  cavalry  to  the  University,  and  I  expect 
you  will  maintain  the  present  position  of  yoirr  forces  until  each  has 
notice  of  a  failure  to  agree. 

That  a  basis  of  action  may  be  had,  I  undertake  to  abide  by  the 
same  terms  and  conditions  as  were  made  by  Generals  Grant  and 
Lee  at  Appomattox  Court-house,  on  the  9th  instant,  relative  to  the 
two  armies  ;  and  furthermore,  to  obtain  from  General  Grant  an  or- 
der to  suspend  the  movements  of  any  troops  from  the  direction  of 
Virginia.  General  Stoneman  is  under  my  command,  and  my  orders 
will  suspend  any  devastation  or  destruction  contemplated  by  him. 
I  will  add  that  I  really  desire  to  save  the  people  of  North  Carolina 
the  damage  they  would  sustain  by  the -march  of  this  army  through 
the  central  or  western  parts  of  the  State. 

I  am,  with  respect,  your  obedient  servant, 

W.  T.  SHERMAN,  Major-General. 

A.  Those  were  the  terras  as  to  his  own  army ;  but  the 
concessions  I  made  him  were  for  the  purpose  of  embracing 
other  armies. 

Q.  And  the  writings  you  signed  were  to  include  other 
armies  ?  A.  The  armies  of  Kirby  Smith  and  Dick  Taylor, 
so  that  afterwards  no  man  within  the  limits  of  the  Southern 
Confederacy  could  claim  to  belong  to  any  Confederate  army 
in  existence. 

Q.  The  President  addressed  a  note  to  General  Grant, 
perhaps  not  to  you,  to  the  effect  of  forbidding  officers  of 
the  army  from  entering  into  any  thing  but  strictly  military 
arrangements,  leaving  civil  matters  entirely  to  him  ?  A.  I 


GENERAL    SHERMAN'S   EXAMINATION.  171 

never  saw  such  a  note  signed  by  President  Lincoln  ;  Mr. 
Stanton  made  such  a  note  or  telegram,  and  says  it  was  by 
President  Lincoln's  dictation ;  he  made  it  to  General  Grant, 
but  never  to  me  ;  on  the  contrary,  while  I  was  in  Georgia, 
Mr.  Lincoln  telegraphed  to  me  encouraging  me  to  discuss 
matters  with  Governor  Brown  and  Mr.  Stephens. 

Q.  Then  you  had  no  notice  of  that  order  to  General 
Grant  ?  A.  I  had  no  knowledge  of  it,  officially  or  other- 
wise. 

Q.  In  the  published  report  of  your  agreement  there  is 
nothing  about  slavery,  I  believe  ?  A.  There  was  nothing 
said  about  slavery,  because  it  did  not  fall  within  the  cate- 
gory of  military  questions,  and  we  could  not  make  it  so. 
It  was  a  legal  question  which  the  President  had  disposed 
of,  overriding  all  our  action.  We  had  to  treat  the  slave 
as  free,  because  the  President,  our  commander-in-chief,  said 
he  was  free.  For  me  to  have  renewed  the  question  when 
that  decision  was  made,  would  have  involved  the  absurdity 
of  an  inferior  undertaking  to  qualify  the  work  of  his 
superior. 

Q.  That  was  the  reason  why  it  was  not  mentioned  ?  A. 
Yes,  sir  ;  subsequently  I  wrote  a  note  to  Johnston,  stating 
that  I  thought  it  would  be  well  to  mention  it  for  political 
effect,  when  we  came  to  draw  up  the  final  terms  with  pre- 
cision :  that  note  was  written  pending  the  time  my  memo- 
randum was  going  to  Washington,  and  before  an  answer 
had  been  returned. 

Q.  At  the  time  you  entered  into  these  negotiations  was 
Johnston  in  a  condition  to  offer  any  effective  resistance  to 
your  army?  A.  He  could  not  have  resisted  my  army  an 
hour,  if  I  could  have  got  hold  of  him  ;  but  he  could  have 
escaped  from  me  by  breaking  up  into  small  parties,  or  by 


GENERAL  SHERMANS  GREAT  MARCH. 

taking  the  country  roads,  travelling  faster  than  my  army, 
with  trains,  could  have  pursued. 

Q.  Then  your  object  in  negotiating  was  to  keep  his  army 
from  scattering  into  'guerrilla  bands  ?  A.  That  was  my 
chief  object ;  I  so  officially  notified  the  War  Department. 

Q.  And  not  because  there  was  any  doubt  about  the 
result  of  a  battle  ?  A.  There  was  no  question  as  to  the 
result  of  a  battle,  and  I  knew  it ;  every  soldier  knew  it. 
Johnston  said,  in  the  first  five  minutes  of  our  conversation, 
that  any  further  resistance  on  his  part  would  be  an  act  ot 
folly,  and  all  he  wanted  was  to  keep  his  army  from  dis- 
persing. 

J3y  Mr.  Loan — 

Q.  In  your  examination  by  the  chairman  you  stated 
that  you  were  acting  in  pursuance  of  instructions  from  Mr. 
Lincoln,  derived  from  his  letters  and  telegrams  at  different 
-times  ?  A.  Yes,  sir. 

Q.  Have  you  any  of  these  letters  and  telegrams  which 
you  can  furnish  to  the  committee  ?  A.  I  can  furnish  you 
a  copy  of  a  dispatch  to  General  Halleck  from  Atlanta,  in 
which  I  stated  that  I  had  invited  Governor  Brown  and  Yice- 
President  Stevens  to  meet  us ;  and  I  can  give  you  a  copy 
of  Mr.  Lincoln's  answer,  for  ray  dispatch  was  referred  to 
him,  in  which  he  said  he  felt  much  interested  in  my  dispatch, 
and  encouraged  me  to  allow  their  visit :  but  the  letter  to 
which  I  referred  specifically  was  a  longer  letter  which  I 
wrote  to  General  Halleck  from  my  camp  on  Big  \Black, 
Mississippi,  at  General  Halleck's  instigation,  in  September, 
1863,  which  was  received  in  Washington,  and  submitted 
to  Mr.  Lincoln,  who  desired  to  have  it  published,  to  which 
I  would  ^not  consent ;  in  that  letter  I  gave  my  opinions 
fully  and  frankly,  not  only  upon  the  military  situation,  but 


GENERAL   SHERMAN'S   EXAMINATION.  173 

also  the  civil  policy  necessary ;  Mr.  Lincoln  expressed  him- 
self highly  pleased  with  my  views,  and  desired  to  make 
them  public,  but  I  preferred  not  to  do  so. 

Q.  And  by  subsequent  acts  he  induced  you  to  believe 
he  approved  of  these  views  ?  A.  I  know  he  approved  of 
them,  and  always  encouraged  me  to  carry  out  those 
views. 

By  the  Chairman — 

Q.  The  following  is  a  letter  published  in  the  newspapers, 
purporting  to  have  been  addressed  by  you  to  Johnston, 
dated  April  21,  1865  : 

HEADQUARTERS,  MILITARY  DIVI^OX  or  THE  MISSISSIPPI, 

In  the  Field,  Ealeigh,  N.  C.,  April  21. 
General  J.  E.  JOHNSTO>T,  Commanding  Confederate  Army  : 

GENERAL — I  send  YOU  a  letter  for  General  Wilson,  which,  if  sent 
by  telegraph  and  courier,  will  check  his  career.  He  may  mistrust 
the  telegraph  ;  therefore  better  send  the  original,  for  he  cannot  mis- 
take my  handwriting,  with  which  he  is  familiar.  He  seems  to  have 
his  blood  up,  and  will  be  hard  to  hold.  If  he  can  buy  corn,  fodder, 
and  rations  down  about  Fort  Valley  it  will  obviate  the  necessity  of 
his  going  up  to  Rome  or  Dalton. 

It  is  reported  to  me  from  Cairo  that  Mobile  is  in  our  possession, 
but  it  is  not  minute  or  official. 

General  Baker  sent  in  to  me,  wanting  to  surrender  his  command, 
on  the  theory  that  the  whole  Confederate  army  was  surrendered.  I 
explained  to  him,  or  his  staff  officer,  the  exact  truth,  and  left  him 
to  act  as  he  thought  proper.  He  seems  to  have  disbanded  his  men, 
deposited  a  few  arms  about  twenty  miles  from  here,  and  himself 
awaits  your  action.  I  will  not  hold  him,  his  men,  or  arms,  subject 
to  any  condition  other  than  the  final  one  we  may  agree  upon. 

I  shall  look  for  Major  Hitchcock  back  from  Washington  on 
Wednesday,  and  shall  promptly  notify  you  of  the  result.  By 
the  action  of  General  Weitzel  in  relation  to  the  Virginia  Legis 
lature,  I  feel  certain  we  will  have  no  trouble  on  the  score  St  recogniz 
ing  existing  State  governments.  It  may  be  the  lawyers  will  want 


174:  GENERAL   SHERMAN^   GREAT   MARCH. 

us  to  define  more  minutely  what  is  meant  by  the  guarantee  of 
rights  of  persons  and  property.  It  may  be  construed  into  a  compact 
for  us  to  undo  the  past  as  to  the  rights  of  slaves  and  leases  of  planta- 
tions on  the  Mississippi  of  vacant  and  abandoned  plantations.  I  wish 
you  would  talk  to  the  best  men  you  have  on  these  points  ;  and  if 
possible,  let  us,  in  our  final  convention,  make  these  points  so  clear  as 
to  leave  no  room  for  angry  controversy.  I  believe  if  the  South 
would  simply  and  publicly  declare  what  we  feel,  that  slavery  is 
dead,  that  you  would  inaugurate  an  era  of  peace  and  prosperity  that 
would  soon  efface  the  ravages  of  the  past  four  years  of  war.  Negroes 
would  remain  in  the  South,  and  afford  you  abundance  of  cheap 
labor,  which  otherwise  will  be  driven  away ;  and  it  will  save  the 
country  the  senseless  discussions  which  have  kept  us  all  in  hot 
water  for  fifty  years. 

Although,  strictly^  this  is  no- subject  for  a  military  convention,  yet 
I  am  honestly  convinced  that  our  simple  declarations  of  a  result  will 
be  accepted  as  good  law  everywhere.  Of  course,  I  have  not  a  single 
word  from  Washington  on  this  or  any  other  point  of  our  agreement, 
but  I  knew  the  effect  of  such  a  step  by  us  will  be  universally  ac- 
cepted. 

I  am,  with  great  respect, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

W.  T.  SHERMAN,  Major-Gen.  U.  S.  A. 

Q.  This  is  the  letter  in  which  you  say  that  it  would  be 
well  to  declare  publicly  that  slavery  is  dead?  A.  Yes, 
sir ;  that  is  the  letter. 

By  Mr.  Loan — 

Q.  Will  you  furnish  the  committee  a  copy  of  the  letter 
written  by  you  to  Mr.  Stanton,  in  January  last,  from  Sa- 
vannah ?  A.  I  will  do  so. 

Mr.  Chairman — And  when  the  manuscript  of  your  tes- 
timony is  prepared  it  will  be  remitted  to  you  for  revision, 
and  you^an  add  to  it  any  statement  or  papers  that  you 
may  subsequently  desire  or  consider  necessary. 


GENERAL   SIIER31AN's   EXAMINATION.  175 

I  have  the  above,  and  now  subjoin  copies  of  letters  from 
my  letter-book,  in  the  order  of  the  bringing  in  the  ques- 
tions revised  by  this  inquiry : 

HEADQUARTERS  MIDDLE  DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI, 
In  the  Field,  Kaleigh,  N.  C.,  April  18,  1865. 

To  Lieutenant-General  U.  S.  GRANT,  or  Major-General  HALLECK, 
Washington,  D.  C. : 

GENERAL — I  inclose  herewith  a  copy  of  an  agreement  made  this 
day  between  General  Joseph  E.  Johnston  and  myself,  which,  if  ap- 
proved by  the  President  of  the  United  States,  will  produce  peace 
from  the  Potomac  to  the  Rio  Grande.  Mr.  Breckinridge  was  present 
at  the  conference  in  the  capacity  of  major-genefal,  and  satisfied  me 
of  the  ability  of  General  Johnston  to  carry  out  to  the  full  extent  the 
terms  of  this  agreement ;  and  if  you  will  get  the  President  to  simply 
indorse  the  copy,  and  commission  me  to  carry  out  the  terms,  I  will 
follow  them  to  the  conclusion.  You  will  observe  that  it  is  an  abso- 
lute submission  of  the  enemy  to  the  lawful  authorities  of  the  United 
States,  and  disperses  his  armies  absolutely  ;  and  the  point  to  which 
I  attach  most  importance  is,  that  the  disposition  and  dispersement 
of  the  armies  is  done  in  such  a  manner  as  to  prevent  them  breaking 
up  into  a  guerrilla  crew.  On  the  other  hand,  we  can  retain  just  as 
much  of  an  army  as  we  please.  I  agree  to  the  mode  and  manner  of 
the  surrender  of  armies  set  forth,  as  it  gives  the  States  the  means 
of  suppressing  guerrillas,  which  we  could  not  expect  them  to  do  if 
we  strip  them  of  all  arms. 

Both  Generals  Johnston  and  Breckinridge  admitted  that  slavery 
was  dead,  and  I  could  not  insist  on  embracing  it  in  such  a  paper, 
because  it  can  be  made  with  the  States  in  detail.  I  knew  that  all 
the  men  of  substance  South  sincerely  want  peace,  and  I  do  not  be- 
lieve they  will  resort  to  war  again  during  this  century.  I  have  no 
doubt  but  that  they  will  in  the  future  be  perfectly  subordinate  to  the 
laws  of  the  United  States.  The  moment  my  action  in  this  matter  is 
approved,  I  can  spare  five  corps,  and  will  ask  for  and  have  General 
Schofield  here  with  the  Tenth  Corps,  and  go  myself  with  the  Four- 
teenth, Fifteenth,  Seventeenth,  Twentieth,  and  Twenty-third  corps, 
via  Burkesville  and  Gordonsville,  to  Frederick  or  Hagergjown,  there 
to  be  paid  and  mustered  out. 


176  GENERAL   SflEBMAN's   GREAT   MARCH. 

The  question  of  finance  is  now  the  chief  one,  and  every  soldier 
and  officer  not  needed  ought  to  go  home  at  once.  I  would  like  to  be 
able  to  begin  the  march  North  by  May  1. 

I  urge  on  the  part  of  the  President  speedy  action,  as  it  is  impor- 
tant to  get  the  Confederate  armies  to  their  homes,  as  well  as  our  own. 
I  am,  with  great  respect,  your  obedient  servant, 

W.  T.  SHERMAN,  Major-General  commanding. 

HEADQUARTERS  MIDDLE  DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI, 
In  the  Field,  Kaleigh,  N.  C.,  April  18. 

General  H.  W.  HALLECK,  Chief  of  Staff,  Washington,  D.  G. : 

GENERAL — I  received  your  dispatch  describing  the  man  Clark, 
detailed  to  assassinate  me.  He  had  better  be  in  a  hurry,  or  he  will 
be  too  late.  The  neVs  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  death  produced  almost  in- 
tense effect  on  our  troops.  At  first  I  feared  it  would  lead  to  ex- 
cesses, but  now  it  has  softened  down,  and  can  easily  be  quieted. 
None  evince  more  feeling  than  General  Johnston,  who  admitted  that 
the  act  was  calculated  to  stain  his  cause  with  a  dark  hue  ;  and  he 
contended  that  the  loss  was  most  severe  on  the  South,  who  had  begun 

to  realize  that  Mr.  Lincoln  was  the  best  friend  the  South  had. 

• 

I  cannot  believe  that  even  Mr.  Davis  was  privy  to  the  diabolical 
plot,  but  think  it  the  emanation  of  a  lot  of  young  men  of  the  South, 
who  are  very  devils.  I  want  to  throw  upon  the  South  the  care  of 
this  class  of  men,  who  will  soon  be  as  obnoxious  to  their  industrious 
class  as  to  us. 

Had  I  pushed  Johnston's  army  to  an  extremity,  it  would  have  dis- 
persed and  done  infinite  miscliief.  Johnston  informed  me  that  Gen- 
eral Stoneman  had  been  at  Salisbury,  and  was  now  about  Statesville. 
I  have  sent  him  orders  to  come  to  me. 

General  Johnston  also  informed  me  that  General  Wilson  was  at 
Columbus,  Ga.,  and  he  wanted  me  to  arrest  his  progress.  I  leave 
that  to  you.  Indeed,  if  the  President  sanctions  my  agreement  with 
Johnston,  our  interest  is  to  cease  all  destruction.  Please  give  all 
orders  necessary,  according  to  the  views  the  executive  may  take,  and 
inform  him,  if  possible,  not  to  vary  the  terms  at  all,  for  I  have  con- 
sidered every  thing,  and  believe  that  the  Confederate  armies  are  dis- 
persed. We  can  adjust  all  else  fairly  and  well. 
I  am  yours,  etc., 

W.  T.  SHERMAN,  Major-General  commanding. 


GENERAL    SHERMAN^    EXAMINATION.  177" 

Lest  confusion  should  result  to  the  mind  of  the  commit- 
tee by  the  latter  part  of  the  above  letter,  I  state  it  was  ad- 
dressed to  General  Halleck,  as  chief  of  staff,  when  he  was 
in  the  proper  "  line  of  order"  to  the  commander-in-chief. 
The  whole  case  changed  when,  on  the  26th  of  April,  he 
became  the  commander  of  the  separate  division  of  the 
James. 

As  stated  in  my  testimony,  General  Grant  reached  Ra- 
leigh on  the  24th,  and  on  the  25th,  on  the  supposition  that 
I  would  start  next  day  to  chase  Johnston's  army,  I  wrote 
him  the  following  letter,  delivered  in  person  : 

%  HEADQUARTERS  DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI, 

In  the  Field,  Kaleigh,  N.  C.,  April  25. 

Lieutenant-General  U.  S.  GRANT — Present : 

GENERAL — I  received  your  letter  of  April  21,  with  inclosures,  yes- 
terday, and  was  well  pleased  that  you  came  along,  as  you  must  liavo 
observed  that  I  held  the  military  control,  so  as  to  adapt  it  to  any 
phase  the  case  might  assume. 

It  is  but  just  that  I  should  record  the  fact  that  I  made  my  terms 
with  General  Johnston  under  the  influence  of  the  liberal  terms  you 
extended  to  the  army  of  General  Lee,  at  Appomattox  Court-house, 
on  the  9th  ;  and  the  seeming  policy  of  our  Government,  as  evinced 
by  the  call  of  the  Virginia  Legislature  -and  governor  back  to  Rich- 
mond, under  yours  and  President  Lincoln's  very  eyes.  It  now  ap- 
pears this  last  act  was  done  without  any  consultation  with  you,  or 
any  knowledge  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  but  rather  in  opposition  to  a  previous 
policy  well  considered. 

I  have  not  the  least  desire  to  interfere  in  the  civil  policy  of  our 
Government,  but  would  shun  it  as  something  not  to  my  liking. 
Bat  occasions  arise  when  a  prompt  seizure  of  results  is  forced  on 
military  commanders  not  in  immediate  communication  with  the 
proper  authority.  It  is  possible  that  the  terms  signed  by  General 
Johnston  and  myself  were  not  clear  enough  on  the  point  well  under- 
stood between  us — that  our  negotiations  did  not  apply  to  any  parties 
outside  the  officers  and  men  of  the  Confederate  armies,  which  could 
easily  have  been  remedied. 


178  GENERAL  SHEKMAN'S  GREAT  MARCH. 

No  surrender  of  any  army,  not  actually  at  the  mercy  of  the  antago- 
nist, was  ever  made  without  "  terms,"  and  -those  always  define  the 
military  status  of  the  surrendered.  Thus  you  stipulated  that  the 
officers  and  men  of  Lee's  army  should  not  be  molested  at  their 
homes,  so  long  as  they  obeyed  the  laws  at  the  place  of  their  resi- 
dence. I  do  not  wish  to  discuss  these  points,  involved  in  our  recog- 
nition of  the  State  governments  in  actual  existence,  but  will  merely 
state  my  conclusion,  to  await  the  solution  of  the  future. 

Such  action,  on  one  point,  in  no  manner  recognizes  for  a  moment 
the  so-called  Confederate  government,  or  makes  us  liable  for  its  debts 
or  acts.  The  laws  and  acts  done  by  the  several  States,  during  the 
period  of  rebellion,  are  void,  because  done  without  the  oath  pre- 
scribed by  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  which  is  a  condi- 
tion precedent.  We  have  a  right  to  use  any  sort  of  machinery  to 
produce  military  results  ;  and  it  is  the  commonest  thing1  for  military 
commanders  to  use  the  civil  government,  in  actual  existence,  as  a 
means  to  an  end.  I  do  believe  we  could  and  can  use  the  present 
State  governments  lawfully,  constitutionally,  and  as  the  very  best 
possible  means  to  produce  the  object  desired,  viz.,  entire  and  com- 
plete submission  to  the  lawful  authority  of  the  United  States. 

As  to  punishment  of  past  crimes,  that  is  for  the  judiciary,  and 
can  in  no  manner  or  way  be  disturbed  by  our  acts  ;  and,  so  far  as  I 
can,  I  will  use  my  influence  that  rebels  shall  suffer  all  the  personal 
punishment  provided  by  law,  as  also  the  civil  liabilities  accruing  from 
this  past  act. 

What  we  now  want,  is  th*e  new  form  of  law  by  which  common 
men  may  regain  their  position  of  industry,  so  long  disturbed  by  the 
war. 

1  now  apprehend  that  the  rebel  army  will  disperse,  and  instead  of 
dealing  with  six  or  seven  States,  we  will  have  to  deal  with  number- 
less bands  of  desperadoes,  headed  by  such  men  as  Moseby,  Forrest, 
Red  Jackson,  and  others,  who  know  not  and  care  not  for  danger  and 
its  consequences. 

I  am,  with  great  respect,  your  obedient  servant, 

W.  T.  SHERMAN,  Major-General. 

On  the  same  day  I  wrote  and  mailed  to  the  secretary  of 
war  the  following : 


GENERAL   SHERMAN'S   EXAMINATION.  179 

HEADQUARTERS  MIDDLE  DIVISION  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI, 
In  the  Field,  Raleigh,  N.  C.  April  25. 

Hon.  E.  M.  STANTON,  Secretary  of  War,  Washington : 

DEAK  SIR — I  have  been  furnished  a  copy  of  your  letter  of  April 
21st,  to  General  Grant,  signifying  your  disapproval  of  the  terms  on 
which  General  Johnston  proposed  to  disarm  and  disperse  the  insur- 
gents, on  condition  of  amnesty,  etc.  I  admit  my  folly  in  embracing, 
in  a  military  convention,  any  civil  matter  ;  but,  unfortunately,  such 
is  the  nature  of  our  situation,  that  they  seem  inextricably  united, 
and  I  understood  from  you  at  Savannah  that  the  financial  state  of 
the  country  demanded  military  success,  and  would  warrant  a  little 
lending  to  policy. 

When  I  had  my  conference  with  General  Johnston,  I  had  the 
public  example  before  me  of  General  Grant's  terms  to  Lee's  army,  and 
General  Weitzel's  invitation  to  the  Virginia  Legislature  to  assemble. 
I  still  believe  that  General  Grant,  of  the  United  States  army,  has  made 
a  mistake ;  but  that  is  none  of  my  business.    Mine  is  a  different  task  ; 
and  I  had  flattered  myself  that  by  four  years  of  patient  and  unre- 
mitting and  successful  labor,  I  deserved  no  reminder  such  as  is 
contained  in  the  hist  paragraph  of  your  letter  to  General  Grant. 
You  may  assure  the  President  that  I  need  his  suggestion. 
I  am,  truly,  etc., 

W.  T.  SHERMAN,  Major-General  commanding. 


The  last  sentence  refers  to  the  fact  that  General  Grant 
had  been  sent  to  Raleigh  to  direct  military  movements. 
That  was  the  first  time  in  my  life  I  had  ever  had  a  word 
of  reproof  from  the  Government  of  the  United  States,  and 
I  was  naturally  sensitive.  But  all  I  said  to  any  one  was  to 
General  Meigs,  who  came  with  General  Grant :  "  It  was 
not  kind  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Secretary  Stanton."  The  fact 
known  did  not  gratify  any  military  conduct.  The  first  in- 
terview with  General  Johnston  followed,  and  the  terms  of 
capitulation  were  agreed  upon  and  signed,  and  General 
Grant  started  for  Washington  bearing  the  news. 


180  GENERAL    SHERMAN'S    GREAT   MARCH. 

When,  on  the  28th  of  April,  I  received,  in  the  New  York 
Times,  the  most  extraordinary  budget  of  Mr.  Stanton, 
which  for  the  first  time  startled  me,  I  wrote  to  General 
Grant  this  letter 

HEADQUARTERS  MILITARY  DIVISION  or  THE  MISSISSIPPI, 
In  the  Field,  April  28. 

Lieutenant-General  TJ.  S.  GRANT,  General-in-Chief,  Washington, 
D.  C. : 

GENERAL  -  Since  you  left  rne  yesterday,  I  have  seen  the  New 
York  Times  of  the  24th  inst.,  containing  a  budget  of  military  news, 
authenticated  by  the  signature  of  the  secretary  of  war,  which  is 
grouped  in  such  a  way  as  to  give  very  erroneous  impressions.  It 
embraces  a  copy  of  the  basis  of  agreement  between  myself  and  Gen- 
eral Johnston,  of  April  18th,  with  commentaries,  which  it  will  be 
time  enough  to  discuss  two  or  three  years  hence,  after  the  Govern- 
ment has  experimented  a  little  more  in  the  machinery  by  which 
power  reaches  the  scattered  people  of  the  vast  country  known  as  the 
South.  But  in  the  mean  time,  I  do  thin'k  that  my  rank  (if  not  past 
services)  entitle  me,  at  least,  to  the  respect  of  keeping  secret  what 
was  known  to  none  but  the  cabinet,  until  further  inquiry  comes  to 
be  made,  instead  of  giving  publicity  to  documents  I  never  saw,  and 
drawing  inferences  wide  of  the  truth. 

I  never  saw,  or  had  furnished  me,  a  copy  of  Mr.  Stanton's  dis- 
patch to  you  of  the  3d  of  March,  nor  did  Mr.  Stanton,  or  any  human 
being,  ever  convey  to  me  its  substance,  or  any  thing  like  it ;  but,  on 
the  contrary,  I  had  seen  General  WeitzeFs,  in  relation  to  the  Vir- 
ginia Legislature,  made  in  Mr.  Lincoln's  very  person,  and  had  failed 
to  discover  any  other  official  hints  of  the  plan  of  reconstruction,  or 
any  idea  calculated  to  allay  the  fears  of  the  people  of  the  South, 
after  the  destruction  of  their  armies  and  civil  authorities  would 
leave  them  without  any  government  at  all. 

We  should  not  drive  a  people  to  anarchy,  and  it  is  simply  impos- 
sible for  one  military  power  to  waste  all  the  masses  of  this  unhappy 
country. 

I  confess  I  did  not  want  to  drive  General  Johnston's  army  into  the 
hands  of  armed  men,  going  about  without  purpose,  and  capable  only 
of  indefinite  mischief. 


GENERAL    SHEEMAN's    EXAMINATION.  181 

But  you  saw,  on  your  arrival  at  Raleigh,  that  I  had  my  armies  so 
disposed,  that  his  escape  was  only  possible  in  a  disorganized  shape ; 
and,  as  you  did  not  choose  to  direct  military  operations  in  this  quar- 
ter, I  infer  that  you  were  satisfied  with  the  military  situation. 

At  all  events,  the  moment  I  learned,  what  was  proper  enough,  the 
disapproval  of  the  President,  I  wished  in  such  manner  to  compel  the 
surrender  of  Johnston's  whole  army  on  the  same  terms  as  you  had 
prescribed  to  General  Lee's  army,  when  you  had  it  surrounded,  and 
in  your  ajjsolute  power. 

Mr.  Stanton,  in  stating  that  my  order  to  General  Stoneman  was 
likely  to  result  in  the  escape  of  "  Mr.  Davis  to  Mexico  or  Europe,"  is 
in  deep  error. 

General  Stoneman  was  not  at  Salisbury  then,  but  had  gone  back 
to  Statesville.  Davis  was  supposed  to  be  between  us,  and  Stoneman 
was  beyond  him. 

By  turning  towards  me  he  was  approaching  Davis ;  and,  had  he 
joined  me  as  ordered,  I  then  would  have  had  a  mounted  force  needed 
for  that  and  other  purposes.  But  even  now  I  don't  know  that  Mr. 
Stanton  wants  Davis  caught.  And  as  my  official  papers,  deemed 
sacred,  are  hastily  published  to  the  world,  it  will  be  imprudent  for 
me  to  state  what  has  been  done  in  this  respect- 
As  the  editor  of  the  Times  has  (it  may  be)  logically  and  fairly 
drawn  the  inference  from  this  singular  document,  that  I  am  insub- 
ordinate, I  can  only  deny  the  intention.*  I  have  never  in  my  life 
questioned  or  disobeyed  an  order,  though  many  and  many  a  time  I 
have  risked  my  life,  my  health,  and  reputation  in  obeying  orders, 
or  even  hints,  to  execute  plans  and  purposes  not  to  my  liking.  It  is 
not  fair  to  withhold  from  me  plans  and  policy  (if  any  there  be),  and 
expect  me  to  guess  at  them  ;  for  facts  and  events  appear  quite  dif- 
ferent from  different  stand-points.  For  four  years  I  have  been  in 
camp,  dealing  with  soldiers,  and  I  can  assure  you  that  the  conclusion 
at  which  the  cabinet  arrived  with  such  singular  unanimity  differs 
from  mine.  I  have  conferred  freely  with  the  best  officers  in  this  army 
as  to  the  points  involved  in  this  controversy,  and,  strange  to  say,  they 
were  singularly  unanimous  in  the  other  conclusion,  and  they  will 
learn  with  pain  and  sorrow  that  I  am  deemed  insubordinate,  and 

*  The  editorial  of  the  New  York  Times,  here  referred  to,  is  given  in  the  con- 
cluding chapter. 


182  GENERAL    SIIEKMAN's    GEEAT   MAKCH 

wanting  in  common  sense ;  that  I,  who  have  labored  day  and  night, 
winter  and  summer,  for  four  years,  and  have  brought  an  army  of 
seventy  thousand  men  in  magnificent  condition  across  a  country 
deemed  impassable,  and  placed  it  just  where  it  was  wanted  almost 
on  the  day  appointed,  have  brought  discredit  on  the  Government. 

I  do  not  wish  to  boast  of  this,  but  I  do  say  that  it  entitled  me  to 
the  courtesy  of  being  consulted  before  publishing  to  the  world  a 
proposition  rightfully  submitted  to  higher  authority  for  adjudication, 
and  then  accompanied  by  statements  which  invited  the  press  to  be 
let  loose  on  me. 

It  is  true  that  non-combatants — men  who  sleep  in  comfort  and 
security,  while  we  watch  on  the  distant  lines — are  better  able  to 
judge  than  we  poor  soldiers,  who  rarely  see  a  newspaper,  hardly  can 
hear  from  our  families,  or  stop  long  enough  to  get  our  pay.  I  envy 
not  the  task  of  reconstruction,  and  am  delighted  that  the  secretary 
has  relieved  me  of  it. 

As  you  did  not  undertake  to  assume  the  management  of  the  af- 
fairs of  this  army,  I  infer  that,  on  personal  inspection,  your  mind 
arrived  at  a  different  conclusion  from  that  of  Mr.  Secretary  Stanton. 
I  will  therefore  go  on  and  execute  your  orders  to  the  conclusion,  and 
when  done,  will,  with  intense  satisfaction,  leave  to  the.  civil  author- 
ities the  execution  of  the  task  of  which  they  seem  to  me  so  jealous ; 
but,  as  an  honest  man  and  soldier,  I  invite  them  to  follow  my  path, 
for  they  may  see  some  things  and  hear  some  things  that  may  dis- 
turb their  philosophy. 

With  sincere  respect, 

W.  T.  SHERMAN,  Major-General  commanding. 

P.  S. — As  Mr.  Stanton's  singular  paper  has  been  published,  I  de- 
mand that  this  also  be  made  public,  though  I  am  in  no  way  re- 
sponsible to  the  press,  but  to  the  law  and  my  proper  superiors. 

W.  T.  SHERMAN,  Major-Gen,  commanding. 

Since  my  arrival  at  Washington,  I  have  learned  from 
General  Grant  that  this  letter  was  received,  but  he  prefer- 
red to  withhold  it  until  my  arrival,  as  he  knew  I  was  making 
towards  Washington  with  my  army.  Upon  my  arrival,  I 
did  not  insist  on  its  publication  till  it  was  drawn  out  by 


GENERAL   SHERMAN'S   EXAMINATION.  183 

this  inquiry.  I  also  append  here  the  copy  of  a  letter  from 
Colonel  T.  S.  Bowers,  A.  A.  G.,  asking  me  to  modify  my 
reports  as  to  the  point-  of  violating  my  truce,  with  my 
answer. 

HEADQUARTERS  ARMIES  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES, 
Washington,  May  25. 

Major-  General  W.  T.  SHERMAN,  Commanding  Military  Division  of 


General  Grant  directed  me  to  call  your  attention  to  the  part  of 
your  report  in  which  the  necessity  of  maintaining  your  truce  at  the 
expense  of  many  lives,  is  spoken  of.  The  general  thinks  that  in 
making  a  truce  the  commander  of  an  army  can  control  only  his  own 
army,  and  that  the  hostile  general  must  make  his  own  arrangements 
with  other  armies  acting  against  him. 

While  independent  generals  acting  against  a  common  foe  would 
naturally  act  in  concert,  the  general  claims  that  each  must  be  the 
judge  of  his  own  duty  and  responsible  for  its  execution. 

If  you  should  wish,  the  report  will  be  returned  for  any  change 
you  may  deem  best. 

Very  respectfully 

Your  obedient  servant, 

T.  S.  BOWERS, 
Assistant  Adjutant-General. 

HEADQUARTERS  MILITARY  DIVISION  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI, 
Washington,  D.  C.,  May  26. 

Colonel  T.   S.   BOWERS,  Assistant  Adjutant-General,   Washington, 
D.  C. : 

COLONEL — I  had  the  honor  to  receive  your  letter  of  May  25,  last 
evening,  and  I  hasten  to  answer.  I  wish  to  precede  it  by  renewing 
the  assurance  of  my  entire  confidence  and  respect  for  the  President 
and  Lieutenant-General  Grant,  and  that  in  all  matters  I  will  be  most 
willing  to  shape  my  official  and  private  conduct  to  suit  their  wishes. 
The  past  is  beyond  my  control,  and  the  matters  embraced  in  the 
official  Deport  to  which  you  refer  are  finished.  It  is  but  just  the 


184:       GENERAL  SHERMANS  GREAT  MARCH. 

reasons  that  actuated  me,  right  or  wrong,  should  stand  on  record  ; 
but  in  all  future  cases,  should  any  arise,  I  will  respect  the  decisions 
of  General  Grant,  though  I  think  them  wrong. 

Suppose  a  guard  has  prisoners  in  charge,  and  officers  of  another  com- 
mand should  aim  to  rescue  or  kill  them,  is  it  not  clear  the  guard  must 
defend  the  prisoners  as  a  safeguard  ?  So  jealous  is  the  military  law 
to  protect  and  maintain  good  faith  when  pledged,  that  the  law  ad- 
j  udges  death,  and  no  alternative  punishment,  to  one  who  violates  a 
safeguard  in  foreign  ports.  (See  Articles  of  War,  No.  55.)  For 
murder,  arson,  treason,  and  the  highest  military  crimes,  the  punish- 
ment prescribed  by  law  is  death,  or-  some  minor  punishment ;  but 
for  the  violation  of  a  "  safeguard,"  death,  and  death  alone,  is  the 
prescribed  penalty.  I  instance  this  to  illustrate  how,  in  military 
stipulations  to  an  enemy,  our  Government  commands  and  enforces 
"good  faith."  In  discussing  this  matter  I  would  like  to  refer  to 
many  writers  on  military  law,  but  am  willing  to  take  Halleck  as  the 
text.  (See  his  chapter,  No.  27.) 

In  the  very  first  article  he  states  that  good  faith  should  always  be 
observed  between  enemies  in  war,  because  when  our  faith  has  been 
pledged  to  him,  so  far  as  the  promise  extends,  he  ceases  to  be  an 
enemy.  He  then  defines  the  meaning  of  compacts  and  conventions, 
and  says  they  are  made  sometimes  for  a  general  or  a  partial  suspen- 
sion of  hostilities  for  the  "  surrender  of  an  army,"  etc.  They  may 
be  special,  limited  to  particular  places  or  to  particular  forces,  but  of 
course  can  only  bind  the  armies  subject  to  the  general  who  makes 
the  truce,  and  co-extensive  only  with  the  extent  of  his  command. 
This  is  all  I  ever  claimed,  and  it  clearly  covers  the  whole  case  ;  all 
of  North  Carolina  was  in  my  immediate  command,  with  General 
Schofield,  its  department  commander,-  and  his  army  present  with 
me.  I  never  asked  the  truce  to  have  effect  beyond  my  own  territorial 
command.  General  Halleck  himself,  in  his  Order,  No.  1,  defines  his 
own  limits  clearly  enough,  viz. :  "  Such  part  of  North  Carolina  as 
was  not  occupied  by  the  command  of  Major-General  Sherman."  He 
could  not  pursue  and  cut  off  Johnston's  retreat  towards  Salisbury 
and  Charlotte  without  invading  my  command  ;  and  so  patent  was 
his  purpose  to  defy  and  violate  my  truce,  that  Mr.  Stanton's  publica- 
tion of  the  fact,  not  even  yet  recalled,  modified,  or  explained,  was 
headed,  "  Sherman's  truce  disregarded,"  that  the  whole  world  drew 


GENERAL   SHEKMAN's   EXAMINATION.  185 

but  one  inference.  It  admits  of  no  other.  I  never  claimed  that  that 
truce  bound  Generals  Halleck  or  Canby  within  the  sphere  of  their 
respective  commands  as  denned  by  themselves. 

It  was  a  partial  truce  of  very  short  duration,  clearly  within  my 
limits  and  right,  j  ustified  by  events,  and  as  in  the  case  of  prisoners 
in  my  custody,  or  the  violation  of  a  safeguard,  given  by  me  in  my 
own  territorial  limits,  I  am  bound  to  maintain  good  faith.  I  prefer 
not  to  change  my  report,  but  again  repeat  that  in  all  future  cases  I 
am  willing  to  be  governed  by  the  interpretation  of  General  Grant, 
although  I  again  invite  his  attention  to  the  limits  of  my  command, 
and  those  of  General  Halleck  at  the  time,  and  the  pointed  phraseology 
of  General  Halleck's  dispatch  to  Mr.  Stanton,  wherein  he  reports  that 
he  had  ordered  his  generals  to  pay  no  heed  to  my  orders  within  the 
clearly  defined  area  of  my  command. 

I  am,  yours, 
W.  T.  SHERMAN,  Maj.-Gen.  U.  S.  A.,  commanding. 

I  now  add  the  two  letters  written  to  Mr.  Stanton  at 
Savannah,  and  the  dispatch  from  Atlanta  mentioned  in  the 
body  of  my  testimony,  with  Mr.  Lincoln's  answer : 

HEADQUARTERS  MILITARY  DIVISION  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI, 
Iri  the  Field,  Savannah,  January  2. 

Hon.  EDWARD  M.  STANTON,  Secretary  of  War,  Washington,  D.  C. : 

STR — I  have  just  received  from  Lieutenant-General  Grant  a  copy 
of  that  part  of  your  telegram  to  him  of  26th  December,  relating  to 
cotton,  a  copy  of  which  has  been  immediately  furnished  to  Gen- 
eral Eaton,  my  chief  quartermaster,  who  will  be  strictly  governed 
by  it. 

I  had  already  been  approached  by  all  the  consuls  and  half  the 
people  of  Savannah  on  this  cotton  question,  and  my  invariable  an- 
swer has  been  that  all  the  cotton  in  Savannah  was  prize  of  war,  and 
belonged  to  the  United  States,  and  nobody  should  recover  a  bale  of 
it  with  my  consent ;  and  that  as  cotton  had  been  one  of  the  chief 
causes  of  this  war,  it  should  help  pay  its  expenses ;  that  all  cotton 
became  tainted  with  treason  from  the  hour  the  first  act  of  hostility 
was  committed  against  the  United  States,  some  time  in  December, 


186  GENERAL   SHEKMAN's   GREAT   MARCH. 

1860,  and  that  no  bill  of  sale  subsequent  to  that  date  could  coiivcy 
title. 

My  orders  were  that  an  officer  of  the  quartermaster's  department, 
United  States  army,  might  furnish  the  holder,  agent,  or  attorney  a 
mere  certificate  of  the  fact  of  seizure,  with  description  of  the  bales, 
marks,  etc. ;  the  cotton  then  to  be  turned  over  to  the  agent  of  the 
Treasury  Department,  to  be  shipped  to  New  York  for  sale.  But 
since  the  receipt  of  your  dispatch  I  have  ordered  General  Eaton  to 
make  the  shipment  himself  to  the  quartermaster  at  New  York, 
where  you  can  dispose  of  it  at  pleasure.  I  do  not  think  the  Treasury 
Department  ought  to  bother  itself  with  the  prizes  or  captures  of 
war. 

Mr.  Barclay,  former  consul  at  New  York — representing  Mr.  Mol- 
yneux,  former  consul,  but  absent  since  a  long  time — called  on  me  in 
person  with  reference  to  cotton  claims  by  English  subjects.  Ho 
seemed  amazed  when  I  told  him  I  should  pay  no  respect  to  consular 
certificates,  and  that  in  no  event  would  I  treat  an  English,  subject 
with  more  favor  than  one  of  our  own  deluded  citizens  ;  and  that  for 
my  part  I  was  unwilling  to  fight  for  cotton  for  the  benefit  of  Eng- 
lishmen openly  engaged  in  smuggling  arms  and  munitions  of  war  to 
kill  us ;  that,  on  the  contrary,  it  would  afford  me  great  satisfaction 
to  conduct  my  army  to  Nassau  and  wipe  out  that  nest  of  pirates.  I 
explained  to  him,  however,  that  I  was  not  a  diplomatic  agent  of  the 
General  Government  of  the  United  States ;  but  that  my  opinion  so 
frankly  expressed,  was  that  of  a  soldier,  which  it  would  be  well  for 
him  to  heed.  It  appeared  also  that  he  owned  a  plantation  on  the 
line  of  investment  to  Savannah,  which,  of  course,  is  destroyed,  and 
for  which  he  expected  me  to  give  him  some  certificate  entitling  him 
to  indemnification,  which  I  declined  emphatically. 

I  have  adopted  in  Savannah  rules  concerning  property,  severe  but 
just,  founded  upon  the  laws  of  nations  and  the  practice  of  civilized 
governments ;  and  am  clearly  of  opinion  that  we  should  claim  all  the 
belligerent  rights  over  conquered  countries,  that  the  people  may  re- 
alize the  truth  that  war  is  no  child's  play. 

I  embrace  in  this  a  copy  of  a  letter  dated  December  31,  1864,  in 
answer  to  one  from  Solomon  Cohen,  a  rich  lawyer,  to  General  Blair, 
his  personal  friend,  as  follows : 


GENERAL   SHERMAN'S   EXAMINATION.  187 

Major-General  F.  P.  BLAIR,  Commanding  Seventeenth  Army  Corps : 

GENERAL — Your  note,  inclosing  Mr.  Cohen's  of  this  date,  is  re- 
ceived, and  I  answer  frankly,  through  you,  his  inquiries. 

First.  No  one  can  practise  law  as  an  attorney  in  the  United  States, 
without  acknowledging  the  supremacy  of  our  Government.  If  I  am 
not  in  error,  an  attorney  is  as  much  an  officer  of  the  court  as  the 
clerk,  and  it  would  be  a  novel  thing  in  a  Government  to  have  a 
court  to  administer  law  that  denied  the  supremacy  of  the  Govern- 
ment itself. 

Second.  No  one  will  be  allowed  the  privileges  of  a  merchant ;  or 
rather,  to  trade  is  a  privilege  which  no  one  should  seek  of  the  Govern- 
ment without  in  like  manner  acknowledging  its  supremacy. 

Third.  If  Mr.  Cohen  remains  in  Savannah  as  a  denizen,  his  prop- 
erty, real  and  personal,  will  not  be  disturbed,  unless  its  temporary 
use  be  necessary  for  the  military  authorities  of  the  city.  The  title 
to  property  will  not  be  disturbed  in  any  event,  until  adjudicated  by 
the  courts  of  the  United  States. 

Fourth.  If  Mr.  Cohen  leaves  Savannah  under  my  Special  Order 
No.  143,  it  is  a  public  acknowledgment  that  he  "  adheres  to  the  ene- 
mies of  the  United  States,"  and  all  his  property  becomes  forfeited  to 
the  United  States.  But  as  a  matter  of  favor  he  will  be  allowed  to 
carry  with  him  clothing  and  furniture  for  the  use  of  himself,  family, 
and  servants,  and  will  be  transported  within  the  enemy's  lines — but 
not  by  way  of  Port  Royal. 

These  rules  will  apply  to  all  parties,  and  from  them  no  exception 
will  be  made. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  general, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

W.  T.  SHERMAN,  Major-General. 

This  letter  was  in  answer  to  specific  inquiries.  It  is  clear  and 
specific,  and  covers  all  the  points ;  and  should  I  leave  before  my 
orders  are  executed,  I  will  endeavor  to  impress  upon  my  successor, 
General  Foster,  their  wisdom  and  propriety. 

I  hope  the  course  I  have  taken  in  these  matters  will  meet  your 
approbation,  and  that  the  President  will  not  refund  to  parties 
claiming  cotton  or  other  property  without  the  strongest  evidence  of 


188  GENERAL   S HERMAN'S   GREAT  MARCH. 

loyalty  and  friendship  on  the  part  of  the  claimant,  or  unless  some 
other  positive  end  is  to  be  gained. 

I  am,  with  great  respect, 

Tour  obedient  servant, 

W.  T.  SHEBMAN, 
Major-General  commanding. 

HEADQUARTERS,  MILITARY  DIVISION  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI, 
In  the  Field,  Savannah,  January  19. 

Hon.  E.  M.  STANTON,  Secretary  of  War,  Washington,  D.  C. : 

SIR — When  you  left  Savannah  a  few  days  ago,  you  forgot  the 
map  which  General  Geary  had  prepared  for  you,  showing  the  route 
by  which  his  division  entered  the  city  of  Savannah — being  the  first 
troops  to  occupy  that  city.  I  now  send  it  to  you.  I  avail  myself  of 
the  opportunity  also  to  inclose  you  copies  of  all  my  official  orders 
touching  trade  and  intercourse  with  the  people  of  Georgia,  as  well 
as  for  the  establishment  of  the  negro  settlements.  Delegations  of 
the  people  of  Georgia  continue  to  come,  and  I  am  satisfied  a  little 
judicious  handling,  and  by  a  little  respect  being  paid  to  their  pre- 
judices, we  can  create  a  schism  in  Jeff.  Da  vis's  dominions.  All  that 
I  have  conversed  with  realize  the  truth  that  slavery,  as  an  institu- 
tion, is  defunct,  and  the  only  questions  that  remain  are,  what  dispo- 
sition shall  be  made  of  the  negroes  themselves.  I  confess  myself 
unable  to  offer  a  complete  solution  for  these  questions,  and  prefer 
to  leave  it  to  the  slower  operations  of  time.  We  have  given  the 
initiative,  and  can  afford  to  wait  the  working  of  the  experiment. 

As  to  trade  matters,  I  also  think  it  is  to  our  interest  to  keep  the 
people  somewhat  dependent  on  the  articles  of  commerce  to  which 
they  have  been  hitherto  accustomed.  General  Grover  is  now  here, 
and  will,  I  think,  be  able  to  manage  this  matter  judiciously,  and 
may  gradually  relax  and  invite  cotton  to  come  in  in  large  quantities. 

But  at  first  we  should  manifest  no  undue  anxiety  on  that  score, 
for  the  rebels  would  at  once  make  use  of  it  as  a  power  against  us. 
We  should  assume  a  tone  of  perfect  contempt  for  cotton  and  every 
thing  else,  in  comparison  with  the  great  object  of  the  war — the 
restoration  of  the  Union,  with  all  its  rights  and  powers.  If  the 
rebels  burn  cotton  as  a  war  measure,  they  simply  play  into  our 
hands,  by  taking  away  the  only  product  of  value  they  now  have  to 


GENERAL   SHEKMAN's    EXAMINATION.  189 

exchange  in  foreign  ports  far  war-ships  and  munitions.  By  such  a 
course,  also,  they  alienate  the  feelings  of  the  large  class  of  small  farm- 
ers, that  look  to  their  little  parcels  of  cotton  to  exchange  for  food  and 
clothing  for  their  families.  I  hope  the  Government  will  not  manifest 
too  much  anxiety  to  obtain  cotton  in  large  quantities,  and  especially 
that  the  President  will  not  indorse  the  contracts  for  the  purchase  of 
large  quantities  of  cotton.  Several  contracts,  involving  from  six  to 
ten  thousand  bales,  indorsed  by  Mr.  Lincoln,  have  been  shown  me, 
but  were  not  in  such  a  form  as  to  amount  to  an  order  for  me  to 
facilitate  their  execution. 

As  to  treasury  trade-agents,  and  agents  to  take  charge  of  confis- 
cated and  abandoned  property,  whose  salaries  depend  on  their  fees, 
I  can  only  say  that,  as  a  general  rule,  they  are  mischievous  and  dis- 
turbing elements  to  a  military  government,  and  it  is  almost  impos- 
sible for  us  to  study  the  law  and  regulations  so  as  to  understand  fully 
their  powers  and  duties.  I  rather  think  the  quartermaster's  de- 
partment of  the  army  could  better  fulfil  all  their  duties,  and  ac- 
complish all  that  is  aimed  at  by  the  law.  Yet,  on  this  subject,  I 
will  leave  Generals  Foster  and  Grover  to  do  the  best  they  can. 
I  am,  with  great  respect,  your  obedient  servant, 

W.  T.  SHERMAN, 
Major-General  commanding. 

HEADQUARTERS  MiC.  Div.  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI, 
In  the  Field,  Atlanta,  Ga.,  Sept.  15,  1864. 

Major-General  I^ALLECK,  Washington,  D.  C. : 

My  report  is  done,  and  will  be  forwarded  as  soon  as  I  get  a  few 
more  of  the  subordinate  reports.  I  am  now  awaiting  a  courier  from 
General  Grant.  All  well,  and  troops  in  fine  healthy  camps,  and 
supplies  coming  forward  finely.  Governor  Brown  has  disbanded 
his  militia,  to  gather  the  corn  and  sorghum  of  the  State.  I  have 
reason  to  believe  that  he  and  Stephens  want  to  visit  me,  and  I  have 
sent  them  a  hearty  invitation.  I  will  exchange  2,000  prisoners  with 
Hood,  but  no  more. 

W.  T.  SHERMAN, 
Major-General  commanding. 


190  GENERAL   SHERMAN^   GKEAT   MAKCH. 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  Sept.  17, 1864—10  A.  M. 
Major-General  SHERMAN  : 

I  feel  great  interest  in  the  subjects  of  your  dispatch  mentioning 
corn  and  sorghum,  and  contemplated  a  visit  to  you. 

A.  LINCOLN,  President  U.  S. 

I  have  not  possession  here  of  all  my  official  records, 
most  of  which  are  out  West,  and  I  have  selected  the  above 
from  my  more  recent  letter-books,  and  I  offer  them  to 
show  how  prompt  and  full  have  been  my  official  reports, 
and  how  unnecessary  was  all  the  clamor  made  touching 
my  action  and  opinions  at  the  time  the  basis  of  agreement 
of  April  18  was  submitted  to  the  President. 

All  of  which  is  most  respectfully  submitted. 

W.  T.  SHERMAN, 
Major-General  United  States  Army. 


ANIMADVERSIONS    AND   DEFENCE.  191 

ANIMADVERSIONS  UPON  GENERAL  SHERMAN, 

WITH 

A  DEFENCE  OF  HIS  PROCEEDINGS ; 

ALSO   THE   CALL   FOR   THE  ASSEMBLING  OF  THE   REBEL  LEG- 
ISLATURE  OF   VIRGINIA. 


[The  following  is  the  "  Official  War  Gazette,"  forwarded  to  the  newspapers 
by  Secretary  Stanton,  and  referred  to  in  General  Sherman's  report,  Part  IF., 
and  in  kis  letter  to  General  Grant,  April  28,  page  180.] 

WASHINGTON,  April  22. 

YESTERDAY  evening  a  bearer  of  a  dispatch  arrived  from 
General  Sherman.  An  agreement  for  the  suspension  of 
hostilities,  and  a  memorandum  of  what  is  called  a  basis  for 
peace,  had  been  entered  into,  on  the  13th  instant,  by  Gen- 
eral Sherman  with  the  rebel-General  Johnston,  the  rebel  Gen- 
eral Breckinridge  being  present  at  the  conference. 

A  Cabinet  meeting  was  held  at  8  o'clock  in  the  evening, 
at  which  the  action  of  General  Sherman  was  disapproved 
by  the  secretary  of  war,  by  General  Grant,  and  by  every 
member  of  the  Cabinet. 

General  Sherman  was  ordered  to  resume  hostilities  im- 
mediately, and  he  was  directed  that  the  instructions  given 
by  the  late  President  in  the  following  telegram,  which  was 
penned  by  Mr.  Lincoln  himself,  at  the  Capitol,  on  the  night 
of  the  2d  of  March,  were  approved  by  President  Andrew 
Johnson,  and  were  reiterated  to  govern  the  action  of  mili- 
tary commanders. 

On  the  night  of  the  2d  of  March,  while  President  Lin- 


192       GENERAL  SUERMAN*S  GREAT  HARCIJ. 

coin  and  his  Cabinet  were  at  the  Capitol,  a  telegram  from 
General  Grant  was  brought  to  the  secretary  of  war,  inform- 
ing him  that  General  Lee  had  requested  an  interview  or 
conference  to  make  arrangements  for  terms  of  peace.  The 
letter  of  General  Lee  was  published  in  the  message  of  Da- 
vis to  the  rebel  Congress. 

-General  Grant's  telegram  was  submitted  to  Mr.  Lincoln, 
who,  after  pondering  a  few  minutes,  took  up  his  pen  and 
wrote  with  his  own  hand  the  following  reply,  which  he  sub- 
mitted to  the  secretary  of  state  and  secretary  of  war.  It 
was  then  dated,  addressed,  and  signed  by  the  secretary  of 
war,  and  telegraphed  to  General  Grant : 

PRESIDENT  LINCOLN'S   INSTRUCTIONS. 

WASHINGTON,  March  3, 1865 — 12  p.  M. 
Lieutenant-General  GRANT  : 

The  President  directs  me  to  say  to  you  that  he  wishes  you  to  have 
no  conference  with  General  Lee,  unless  it  be  for  the  capitulation  of 
General  Lee's  army,  or  on  some  minor  and  purely  military  matter. 

He  instructs  me  to  say  that  you  are  not  to  decide,  discuss,  or  con- 
fer upon  any  political  questions.  Such  questions  the  President 
holds  in  his  own  hands,  and  will  not  submit  them  to  military  con- 
ference or  conventions.  In  the  mean  time  you  are  to  press  to  the 
utmost  your  military  advantages. 

EDWIN  M.  STANTON,  Secretary  of  War. 

The  orders  of  General  Sherman  to  General  Stoneman,  to 
withdraw  from  Salisbury  and  join  him,  will  probably  open 
the  way  for  Davis  to  escape  to  Mexico  or  to  Europe  with 
his  plunder,  which  is  reported  to  be  very  large,  including 
not  only  the  plunder  of  the  Richmond  banks,  but  previous 
accumulations. 

A  dispatch  received  from  Richmond  says  :  "  It  is  stated 
here,  by  responsible  parties,  that  the  amount  of  specie  taken 


ANIMADVERSIONS   AND   DEFENCE.  193 

south  by  Jeff.  Davis  and  his  party  is  very  large,  including 
not  only  the  plunder  of  the  Richmond  banks,  but  previous 
accumulations." 

They  hope,  it  is  said,  to  make  terms  with  General  Sher- 
man or  some  other  Southern  commander,  by  which  they 
will  be  permitted,  with  their  effects,  including  their  gold 
plunder,  to  go  to  Mexico  or  Europe.  Johnston's  negotia- 
tions look  to  this  end. 

After  the  Cabinet  meeting  last  night,  General  Grant 
started  for  North  Carolina  to  direct  operations  against 
Johnston's  army. 

EDWIN  M.  STANTON,  Sec'y  of  War. 


THE     CORRESPONDENCE     AND     THE     "MEMORANDUM" RE-' 

PORTED   REASONS    FOR    THEIR    DISMISSAL    BY     OUR    GOV- 
ERNMENT. 

WASHINGTON,  April  23. 

As  reports  have  been  in  circulation,  for  some  time,  of  a 
correspondence  between  Generals  Johnston  and  Sherman, 
the  .following  memorandum,  or  basis  of  what  was  agreed 
upon  between  the  generals,  and  the  result,  is  published  : 

MEMORANDUM  or  basis  of  agreement,  made  this,  the  18th  day  of  April,  A. 
D.,  1865,  near  Durham's  Station,  in  the  State  of  North  Carolina,  by  and 
between  General  Joseph  E.  Johnston,  commanding  the  Confederate 
army,  and  Major-General  W.T.Sherman,  commanding  the  army  of 
the  United  States,  both  present. 

First.  The  contending  armies  now  in  the  field  to  maintain  the 
status  quo  until  notice  is  given  by  the  commanding  general  of  any 
one  to  his  opponent,  and  reasonable  time,  say  forty-eight  hours, 
allowed. 

Second.  The  Confederate  armies  now  in  existence  to  be  disbanded 
and  conducted  to  their  several  State  capitals,  there  to  deposit  thRr 
arms  and  public  property  in  the  State  arsenal ;  and  each  officer 
and  man  to  execute  and  file  an  agreement  to  cease  from  acts  of 

0 


194:  GENERAL   SHERMAN^   GREAT   MARCH. 

war,  and  to  abide  the  action  of  both  State  and  Federal  authorities. 
The  number  of  arms  and  munitions  of  war  to  be  reported  to  the 
chief  of  ordnance  at  Washington  city,  subject  to  the  future  action 
of  the  Congress  of  the  United  States,  and  in  the  mean  time  to  be 
used  solely  to  maintain  peace  and  order  within  the  borders  of  the 
States  respectively. 

Third.  The  recognition,  by  the  Executive  of  the  United  States,  of 
the  several  State  Governments,  on  their  officers  and  Legislatures 
taking  the  oath  prescribed  by  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  ; 
and  when  conflicting  State  Governments  have  resulted  from  the 
war,  the  legitimacy  of  all  shall  be  submitted  to  the  Supreme  Court 
of  the  United  States. 

Fourth.  The  re-establishment  of  all  Federal  courts  in  the  several 
States,  with  powers  as  defined  by  the  Constitution  and  the  laws  of 
Congress. 

Fifth.  The  people  and  inhabitants  of  all  States  to  be  guaranteed, 
so  far  as  the  Executive  can,  their  political  rights  arid  franchise,  as 
well  as  their  rights  of  person  and  property,  as  denned  by  the  Con- 
stitution of  the  United  States  and  of  the  States  respectively. 

Sixth.  The  executive  authority  or  Government  of  the  United  States 
not  to  disturb  any  of  the  people,  by  reason  of  the  late  war,  so  long 
as  they  live  in  peace  and  quiet,  and  abstain  from  acts  of  armed 
hostility,  and  obey  the  laws  in  existence  at  the  place  of  their  residence. 

Seventh.  In  general  terms,  it  is  announced  that  the  war  is  to  cease ; 
a  general  amnesty,  so  far  as  the  Executive  of  the  United  States  can 
command,  on  condition  of  the  disbandment  of  the  Confederate  armies, 
the  distribution  of  arms  and  the  resumption  of  peaceful  pursuits  by 
officers  and  men  hitherto  composing  said  armies.  Not  being  fully  em- 
powered by  our  respective  principals  to  fulfil  these  terms,  we  indi- 
vidually and  officially  pledge  ourselves  to  promptly  obtain  author- 
ty,  and  will  endeavor  to  carry  out  the  above  programme. 

W.  T.  SHERMAN,  Major-General, 

Commanding  the  Army  of  the  United  States 
in  North  Carolina. 

J,  E.  JOHNSTON,  General, 

Commanding  Confederate  States  Army 
in  North  Carolina. 


ANIMADVERSIONS    AND   DEFENCE.  195 

It  is  reported  that  this  proceeding  of  General  Sherman 
was  disapproved  for  the  following  among  other  reasons: 

First.  It  was  an  exercise  of  authority  not  vested  in  Gen. 
Sherman,  and,  on  its  face,  shows  that  both  he  and  John- 
ston knew  that  General  Sherman  had  no  authority  to  enter 
into  any  such  arrangements. 

Second.  It  was  a  practical  acknowledgment  of  the  rebel 
Government. 

Third.  It  undertook  to  re-establish  rebel  State  govern- 
ments that  had  been  overthrown  at  the  sacrifice  of  many 
thousand  loyal  lives  and  immense  treasure,  and  placed 
arms  and  munitions  of  war  in  hands  of  rebels  at  their  re- 
spective capitals,  which  might  be  used  as  soon  as  the 
armies  of  the  United  States  were  disbanded,  and  used  to 
conquer  and  subdue  loyal  States. 

Fourth.  By  the  restoration  of  rebel  authority  in  their 
respective  States,  they  would  be  enabled  to  re-establish 
slavery. 

Fifth.  It  might  furnish  a  ground  of  responsibility  on 
the  part  of  the  Federal  Government  to  pay  the  rebel  debt, 
and  certainly  subjects  loyal  citizens  of  rebel  States  to 
debts  contracted  by  rebels  in  the  name  of  the  State. 

Sixth.  It  puts  in  dispute  the  existence  of  loyal  State 
governments,  and  the  new  State  of  West  Virginia,  which 
had  been  recognized  by  every  department  of  the  United 
States  Government. 

Seventh.  It  practically  abolished  confiscation  laws,  and 
relieved  rebels  of  every  degree,  who  had  slaughtered  our 
people,  from  all  pains  and  penalties  for  their  crimes. 

Eighth.  It  gave  terms  that  had  "been  deliberately,  repeat- 
edly, and  solemnly  rejected  by  President  Lincoln,  and 
better  terms  than  the  rebels  had  ever  asked  in  their  most 
prosperous  condition. 


196       GENERAL  SHERMAN'S  GREAT  MARCH 

Ninth.  It  formed  no  basis  of  true  and  lasting  peace,  but 
relieved  rebels  from  the  presence  of  our  victories,  and  left 
them  in  a  condition  to  renew  their  efforts  to  overthrow  the 
United  States  Government  and  subdue  the  loyal  States 
whenever  their  strength  was  recruited  and  any  opportunity 
should  offer. 


[Appended  -is  the  Editorial  from  the  New  Tori  "  Times,"  April  21th,  alluded, 
to  in  General  Sherman's  letter  to  General  Grant,  April  28th — p.  181.] 

GENERAL   SHERMAN'S   EXTRAORDINARY  NEGOTIATION   FOR   PEACE. 

THE  loyal  public  will  read  with  profound  surprise  the 
terms  which  General  Sherman  tendered  to  the  rebel  Gov- 
ernment, as  represented  by  its  only  uncaptured  commander, 
General  Johnston,  as  the  basis  of  peace.  In  reading  the 
provisions  of  this  remarkable  compact — which  was  signed 
on  the  18th  of  April,  four  days  after  the  assassination  of 
President  Lincoln — one  is  at  a  loss  to  know  which  side 
agreed  to  surrender.  Johnston  certainly  could  have  in- 
tended nothing  of  the  kind.  He  evidently  believed  him- 
self to  be  negotiating  with  an  equal — dictating  terms, 
rather  than  receiving  them — and  laying  the  basis  of  a  new 
Government,  based  on  a  theory  of  State  rights  as  absolute 
and  complete  as  Calhoun  ever  dreamed  of. 

No  plea  need  be  souglit  to  justify  the  rebellion  and  all 
the  atrocious  acts  that  have  followed  in  its  train,  beyond 
that  which  is  found  -in  this  scheme  of  pacification.  The 
title  of  the  "  Confederates"  to  an  equal  status  with  the 
national  authorities  is  conceded  in  the  first  article  of  the 
agreement ;  and  that  infamous  concession  is  stanchly  sup- 
ported in  the  second  article,  which,  instead  of  providing 


ANIMADVERSIONS   AND   DEFENCE.  197 

for  the  surrender  of  the  rebel  arms  and  munitions  of  war 
to  the  United  States  Government,  expressly  provides  for 
their  deposit  in  the  State  arsenals  under  the  keeping,  and 
subject  to  the  orders,  of  any  new  league  of  conspirators 
that  may  arise  hereafter. 

In  his  wildest  flights  of  imagination,  in  his  boldest 
schemes  of  burglary,  Floyd  himself  never  conceived  a  plan 
or  basis  for  a  new  rebellion  superior  to  this.  A  difficulty 
between  the  United  States  Government  and  some  foreign 
power  would  be  the  signal  to  every  unarmed  rebel  to  hie 
to  the  State  arsenal  and  equip  himself  for  a  new  attempt 
to  throw  off  the  authority  of  the  Government,  and  realize 
the  dream  of  a  slave  Confederacy. 

The  fifth  article  in  the  agreement  is  intended  not  only  to 
secure  full  amnesty  for  every  class  of  rebel  offenders,  but 
to  open  the  way  for  the  re-establishment  of  slavery  in  all 
the  seceded  States.  It  is  a  provision  running  in  the  face 
of  the  most  important  legislative  enactments  and  execu- 
tive decrees  that  have  come  into  force  since  the  rebellion 
commenced.  It  changes,  at  one  stroke,  the  whole  pojicy 
of  the  national  Government.  It  substitutes  for  the  formal 
resolutions  of  Congress,  and  the  solemn  decisions  of  the 
national  Executive,  the  compromises  of  a  military  sub- 
ordinate with  a  rebel  leader.  It  carries  the  nation  back  to 
the  very  source  and  fountain  of  the  calamities  which  were 
sprung  upon  it  when  the  guage  of  battle  was  first  thrown 
down  by  the  conspirators.  It  undoes  all  that  has  been 
found  politic  in  asserting  the  supreme  authority  of  the 
government ;  all  that  has  been  esteemed  righteous  and 
humane  in  the  discomfiture  of  slavery ;  all  that  has  been 
considered  essential  to  justify  the  honor  and  uphold  the 
justice  of  the  national  cause  before  the  world.  And  to 
each'separate  clause  of  this  ignoble  instrument,  which,  by 


198  GENERAL   SHEBMAN's    GBEAT   MAEOII. 

the  connivance  of  a  weak  and  recreant  Executive,  might 
have  become  the  Magna  Charta  of  American  slavery, 
General  Sherman  gave  the  sanction  of  his  name,  as  the  im- 
mediate representative  of  the  military  power  of  the  United 
States. 

The  act,  viewed  in  its  purely  military  bearing,  must  be 
regarded  as  one  of  most  dangerous  insubordination.  Had 
there  been  no  express  orders  to  direct  Gen.  Sherman,  the 
terms  of  surrender  accorded  by  Lieutenant-General  Grant 
to  Lee  were  available  as  a  guide  to  the  subordinate  general. 
The  prime  feature  of  that  surrender  was  illustrated  in  the 
brief  and  emphatic  report  of  Grant  to  the  War  Department : 
"  TJiere  has  been  no  relaxation  in  the  pursuit  during  its 
pendency"  How  did  the  subordinate  in  this  case  follow 
the  example  of  his  superior  ?  By  a  prompt  concession  of 
an  armistice  to  his  crafty  opponent — a  concession  which,  as 
it  was  the  first  eager  thought  of  Lee,  was  naturally  like- 
wise the  prime  consideration  with  Johnston  and  his  illus- 
trious mentors,  Davis  and  Breckinridge.  On  that  con- 
cession depended  all  the  hopes  of  personal  safety  of  these 
fugitives  from  justice.  On  that  concession  depended  their 
ability  to  show  the  "sympathizing"  outside  community 
that,  before  they  resigned  their  posts  as  Confederate  leaders, 
the  status  of  the  Confederacy  was  formally  acknowledged 
by  a  United  States  commander,  next  to  the  highest  in  rank 
in  the  national  army. 

But  General  Sherman  had  more  than  the  example  of  his 
immediate  chief  to  guide  him,  if  he  desired  to  escape  the 
grave  charge  of  insubordination.  He  had  before  him  the 
direct  injunctions  of  the  late  President,  which  directly  for- 
bade the  discussion  of  political  terms  of  settlement  between 
military  commanders  and  rebel  leaders.  So  long  ago  as 
the  3d  of  March — the  very  closing  day  of  President  Lin- 


ANIMADVERSIONS   AND   DEFENCE.  199 

coin's  first  terra — Secretary  Stanton  was  instructed  to  write 
to  General  Grant  that  the  President  desired  him  "  to  have 
no  conference  with  General  Lee,  unless  it  be  for  the  capitu- 
lation of  Lee's  army,  or  on  some  minor  and  purely  military 
matter."  If  a  transcript  of  this  absolute  injunction  was 
not  made,  textually,  for  Sherman's  guidance,  the  injunction 
itself  was  perfectly  known  to  him,  and  he  was  well  aware 
that  powers  of  negotiation  were  not  denied  to  the  lieutenant- 
general  to  be  conceded  to  one  of  his  subordinates. 

We  fear  that  this  most  unfortunate  step  of  General  Sher- 
man has  already  led  to  results  of  serious  detriment  to  the 
national  cause.  It  has  probably  allowed  Davis  and  Breck- 
inridge,  with  their  prominent  and  responsible  confederates 
in  the  rebellion,  to  secure  their  personal  safety ;  and  there 
is  some  reason  also  to  apprehend  that  it  may  have  allowed 
Johnston  to  remove  his  army  beyond  the  immediate  reach 
of  his  late  antagonist.  Its  worst  effects,  however,  were 
averted  by  the  prompt  and  peremptory  intervention  of  the 
President ;  and  we  hope  that  the  presence  of  the  lieutenant- 
general,  who  set  out  for  North  Carolina  before  midnight 
on  Friday,  may  obviate  all  the  serious  evils  which  it  was 
calculated  to  involve. 


200  GENERAL   SHEKMAN's   GEEAT   MARCH. 


{The  dispatches  of  General  Hatteck  and  Secretary  Stantfin,  on  the  violation 
of  General  Sherman's  truce,  referred  to  in  the  Report,  Part  IV.,  and  the  Ex- 
amination, are  as  follows.'} 

WAR  DEPARTMENT, 

Washington,  D.  C-,  April  27—9.30  A.  M. 
Major-General  Dix : 

The  department  has  received  the  following  dispatch  from 
Major-General  Halleck,  commanding  the  Military  Division 
of  the  James : 

Generals  Canby  and  Thomas  were  instructed  some  days 
ago  that  Sherman's  arrangement  .with  Johnston  was  disap- 
proved by  the  President,  and  they  were  ordered  to  disre- 
gard it,  and  to  push  the  enemy  in  every  direction. 

EDWIN  M.  STANTON,  Secretary  of  "War. 

RICHMOND,  Va.,  April  26 — 9.30  p.  M. 
Hon.  EDWIN  M.  STANTON,  Secretary  of  War  : 

Generals  Mea'de,  Sheridan,  and  Wright  are  acting  under 
orders  to  pay  no  regard  to  any  truce  or  orders  of  General 
Sherman  respecting  hostilities,  on  the  ground  that  Sher- 
man's agreement  could  bind  his  own  command  and  no  other. 

They  are  directed  to  push  forward,  regardless  of  orders 
from  any  one  except  General  Grant,  and  cut  off  Johnston's 
retreat. 

Beauregard  has  telegraphed  to  Danville  that  a  new  ar- 
rangement has  been  made  with  Sherman,  and  that  the  ad- 
vance of  the  Sixth  Corps  was  to  be  suspended  until  further 
orders. 

I  have  telegraphed  back  to  obey  no  orders  of  Sherman, 
but  to  push  forward  as  rapidly  as  possible. 

The  bankers  here  have  information  to-day  that  Jeff. 
Davis's  specie  is  moving  South  from  Hillsboro',  in  wagons, 
as  fast  as  possible. 


ANIMADVEBSIONS   AND   DEFENCE.  201 

I  suggest  that  orders  be  telegraphed,  through  General 
Thomas,  that  Wilson  obey  no  orders  from  Sherman  ;  and 
notifying  him  and  Canby,  and  all  commanders  on  the 
Mississippi,  to  take  measures  to  intercept  the  rebel  chiefs 
and  their  plunder. 

The  specie  taken  with  them  is  estimated  here  at  from  six 
to  thirteen  millions. 

H.  W.  HALLECK,  Major-General  commanding. 


[The  subjoined  article,  written  in  defence  of  General  Sherman  against  the 
above  attacks,  appeared  in  the  Washington  "  Chronicle,"  May  25th,  and  is 
attributed  to  the  fen  of  his  brother,  Senator  Sherman.] 

[For  the  Daily  Chronicle.] 
SHERMAN   AND    STANTON. 

A  QUARREL  between  two  high  officers  of  the  Government 
is  always  unfortunate,  unseemly,  and  usually  injurious  to 
each.  This  is  especially  so  when  they  are  working  in  the 
same  great  cause,  and  that  cause  brilliantly  successful — 
crowned  with  a  glorious  peace.  It  is  idle  to  conceal  evi- 
dences of  passion  eagerly  promulgated  by  the  telegram  and 
press,  and  it  is  well  for  kindly  lookers-on  to  take  a  dis- 
passionate view,  to  see  if  all  this  heat  is  necessary.  The 
writer  of  this  knows  both  parties,  and  is  certainly  friendly 
to  each. 

The  commencement  of  any  difference  was  with  the 
Sherman- Johnston  convention.  This,  if  approved  by  the 
President,  would  have  made  peace  between  the  Potomac 
and  Rio  Grande.  The  objections  made  to  this  are  included 
in  three  propositions:  1st,  That  Sherman  had  no  power  to 
make  such  a  treaty.  The  answer  is  obvious,  that  he  never 

9* 


202  GENERAL   SHERMAN'S   GREAT    MARCH. 

claimed  or  attempted  to  conclude  the  arrangement.  All  he 
did  "  conclude"  was  a  truce  for  a  few  days ;  and  he  then 
submitted,  for  the  approval  or  rejection  of  the  President, 
this  important  offer  of  a  general  peace.  Even  in  arranging 
the  truce  he  had  'it  all  on  his  side.  Wilson  was  still 
moving  and  holding  the  outer  coils  of  the  net,  while  Sher- 
man was  building  railroads  and  repairing  roads  and  bridges, 
ready  for  the  final  spring  if  the  arrangement  was  disap- 
proved. He  gained  every  thing  by  the  truce,  and  lost 
nothing.  Johnston  was  "  corelled,"  and  was  kept  so  by 
this  very  truce,  while  Sherman  was  never  more  active  in 
preparing  for  future  movements,  if  necessary.  It  is  said 
generals  have  no  business  to  make  truces  or  deal  with  po- 
litical questions,  and  that  Grant  was  reproved  for  this  ;  but 
Sherman  had  made  truces  before,  and  for  a  year  has  been 
distinguished  for  his  treatment  of  political  questions,  with- 
out a  word  of  caution  or  reproof  from  his  superiors.  The 
telegram  to  Grant,  now  published  as  an  official  order  of  an 
old  date,  was  withheld  from  Sherman,  and  Sherman  had 
been  instructed  to  open  communications  with  rebel  civil 
authorities. 

The  second  objection  is  that  the  arrangement  recognized 
the  rebel  State  government  and  officials.  This  is  the  most 
serious  objection,  and  amply  justified  the  Government  in 
rejecting  or  modifying  the  arrangement ;  but  the  official 
papers  show  clearly  that  Sherman  refused  to  grant  this  in 
any  shape  or  form,  until  the  order  of  Weitzel,  issued  while 
Mr.  Lincoln  was  present  in  Richmond,  convened  the  rebel 
Legislature  of  Virginia  and  recognized  the  rebel  Governor 
Smith.  With  this  order  before  him,  without  a  word  of  the 
contrary  tenor,  Sherman  informed  Johnston  of  the  order, 
and  waived  his  previous  objection  to  recognizing  the  rebel 
State  authorities.  Why  should  Sherman  be  denounced  for 


ANIMADVERSIONS   AND   DEFENCE.  203 

submitting  to  the  new  President  a  proposition  based  upon 
this  order,  of  the  revocation  of  which  he  had  not  the  least 
notice  ?  How  unjust  to  arraign  him  for  this,  and  then  con- 
ceal the  fact  that  he  was  acting  in  pursuance  of  the  policy 
of  the  former  Administration  ! 

The  third  objection  is  that  he  recognized  slavery,  and 
restore^  the  old  relations  between  master  and  slave.  This 
is  simply  absurd.  Sherman  has  repeatedly  acted  upon  the 
validity  of  the  proclamation  of  emancipation  and  the  laws 
of  Congress  abolishing  slavery,  and  the  idea  of  repealing  or 
strengthening  them  by  a  military  arrangement  between  the 
generals  never  entered  his  head.  The  official  papers  show 
that  he  urged  Johnston  to  announce  as  a  "  fact"  the  ex- 
tinction of  slavery — a  "  fact"  that  Sherman  not  only  re- 
garded as  fixed,  but  as  unalterable.  The  result  was,  that 
slavery  was  not  mentioned,  but  was  left  precisely  where  it 
ought  to  be  left.  The  nei-vous  fear  that  this  question  could 
not  be  left  to  the  law  and  the  Supreme  Court  did  not  dis- 
turb a  purely  military  mind. 

This  was  the  arrangement  about  which  so  much' has  been 
said.  It  disbanded  the  rebel  armies,  placed  all  their  arms 
within  our  power,  made  peace  universal ;  and  it  was  purely 
conditional,  having  no  life  without  the  approval  of  the 
President.  Now  it  is  plain  that  the  duty  of  the  Government 
was  to  simply  approve  or  reject  it,  and  give  no  reasons,  but 
issue  its  orders,  and  this  is  precisely  what  was  done  by  the 
President^  and  he  did  no  more.  General  Grant  was  sent 
to  convey  this  order,  and  did  his  duty  nobly  and  well,  with 
generous  consideration  for  his  subordinate  and  fellow-soldier. 
Sherman  did  not  hesitate  a  moment,  promptly  terminated 
the  truce,  made  a  new  arrangement  with  Johnston,  and  at 
once  started  for  Charleston  and  Savannah,  to  send  supplies 
to  General  Wilson,  then  far  in  Georgia,  and  to  close  up 


204  GENERAL   SHERMAN'S   GREAT   MARCH. 

the  scattered  links  of  his  great  command.  His  official  re- 
port shows  an  amount  of  zeal,  activity,  patriotism,  and 
wonderful  ability  not  surpassed  by  any  portion  of  his  previ- 
ous life.  All  this  was  going  on  while  he  was  in  utter 
ignorance  of  the  wild  storm  of  denunciation  that  was  sweep- 
ing over  the  whole  country.  While  he  was  supplying 
Wilson,  arranging  to  catch  Davis,  detaching  armies  from 
his  command,  and  preparing  for  peace  and  home,  the  pi-ess 
and  the  telegraph,  the  pulpit  and  the  rostrum,  were  ringing 
with  denunciations.  A  letter  of  a  rebel  to  the  London 
Times  was  universally  quoted  as  the  revelation  of  a  plot  to 
overthrow  the  Government.  Cromwell  and  Arnold,  and 
all  that  was  desperate  and  violent,  was  suddenly  brought 
to  public  notice.  To  defend  Sherman,  and  even  to  beg 
people  to  "  wait — let  us  hear  from  him,"  was  to  invite 
quarrel  and  insult.  Timid  people  were  pitying  him  and  all 
connected  with  him.  People  who  had  slept  -soundly  in 
their  beds  at  night  and  made  money  every  day  during  the 
war,  thought  General  Sherman  had  joined  the  "  Copper- 
heads," and  was  no  better  than  Jeff.  Davis,  and  even  hinted 
that  he  had  got  some  of  Jeff.  Davis's  gold. 

General  Sherman  first  met  this  "  chilling  wind"  as  he 
was  coming  northward^ around  Cape  Henry,  to  meet  his 
army  and  surrender  his  command.  He  was  then  writing 
his  official  report.  He  firmly  believed  that  all  this  fierce 
and  most  unreasonable  calumny  was  organized  by  Mr. 
Stanton  and  General  Halleck,  with  the  deliberate  purpose 
to  insult,  humiliate,  and  ruin  him.  He  then  first  saw 
Stanton's  reasons  and  Halleck's  insulting  order.  He  mixed 
all  the  falsehoods  and  malignity  with  these  two  official  acts. 
No  wonder  that  this  gave  tone  to  his  official  report,  and 
under  this  shadow  it  should  be  read.  It  will  soon  be  made 
public,  and  the  writer  of  this  ventures  to  predict  that  every 


AND1ADVEKSIONS   AND    DEFENCE.  205 

fair-minded  man  who  contributed  to  the  clamor  will,  on 
reading  it,  regret  his  part. 

The  rejection  of  the  convention  and  the  reasons  of  Stan- 
ton  were  given  to  the  public  at  the  same  moment.  They 
had  the  appearance  of  contemporaneous  acts ;  but  they  were 
entirely  distinct  and  separate.  The  fact  of  disapproval  was 
sent  by  Grant,  and  was  entirely  legitimate,  and  resulted 
well.  Grant  even  did  not  know  these  "  reasons."  Not  a 
shade  of  discontent  could  have  arisen.  Why,  then,  publish 
these  reasons  ?  The  answer  of  Mr.  Stanton  is,  that  General 
Sherman's  order  announcing  the  truce  to  his  army  made 
it  necessary — that  he  could  not  disappoint  the  hopes  of  the 
army,  based  upon  this  order,  without  giving  the  reasons  ; 
that  he  got  a  copy  of  the  order  after  Grant  left,  and  then 
penned  these  reasons.  The  gloom  of  the  public  mind,  and 
his  own  escape  from  assassination,  no  doubt  colored  his 
statement,  and  suspicion  aroused  by  a  desperate  crime,  lit 
upon  the  most  conspicuous  person  who,  at  the  moment, 
seemed  to  thwart  the  national  cry  for  vengeance.  Sher- 
man's arrangement  breathed  the  spirit  of  the  dead  Presi- 
dent ;  but  it  came  one  week  too  late,  or  one  month  too 
early.  In  either  contingency  Stanton's  reasons  would  never 
have  been  issued.  They  were  his  alone,  and  are  plainly 
marked  with  passion,  but  may  have  been  published  without 
malice. 

But,  it  is  said,  why  did  Sherman  issue  this  order  to  his 
troops  ?  Why  did  he  assume  that  peace  was  to  exist  from 
the  Potomac  to  the  Rio  Grande  ?  Why  not  wait  until  the 
arrangement  was  approved  ?  The  answer  is,  that  it  was 
necessary  to  announce  the  truce  to  the  army  to  prevent 
collision  and  loss  of  life.  The  order  was  to  the  army  only, 
and  expressly  stated  that  the  truce  depended  upon  the 
approval  of  the  President.  Without  a  knowledge  of  the 


206  GENEKAL   SHERMAN'S   GREAT   MARCH. 

truce  how  could  officers  or  men  perform  their  new  duties, 
and  in  what  better  terms  could  a  conditional  truce  be  ex- 
pressed? Sherman  talked  to  his  army  alone,  merely  for 
their  temporary  action.  Can  any  man  read  the  order  now 
without  approving  it  ? 

Then  followed  the  advice  of  Halleck  to  ignore  Grant,  to 
insult  Sherman,  and  to  arrest  the  movement  of  subordinate 
officers,  not  only  without  the  knowledge  but  in  defiance  of 
both  of  them.  And  this  was  accompanied  by  the  military 
offence  of  Halleck's  disregarding  a  truce,  and  actually  in- 
vading another  military  department  to  assault  an  enemy 
under  terms  of  surrender.  It  was  fortunate  that  this  order 
was  countermanded  in  time,  or  an  actual  collision  might 
have  occurred,  in  violation  of  a  truce,  between  two  armies 
of  our  noble  heroes.  For  this  General  Halleck  ought  alone 
to  be  held  responsible.  If  he  was  of  any  service  at  all  other 
than  an  expensive  luxury,  tried  and  labelled  away  where 
it  was  supposed  he  was  harmless,  he  should,  as  a  writer  on 
military  law,  have  been  the  last  man  to  advise  the  breach 
of  a  truce — the  soldier's  "  higher  law."  He  knew  that 
Johnston  had  surrendered,  was  awaiting  the  action  of  the 
President  upon  that  surrender,  and  that  Grant,  his  superior 
officer,  was  conveying  that  action  to  Sherman  ;  and  yet  he 
advised  a  course  that  could  only  be  justified  by  the  clearly 
ascertained  fact  that  both  Grant  and  Sherman  were  trai- 
tors to  their  country. 

And  then,  why  publish  this  order  ?  What  motive  could 
possibly  induce  this?  If  some  grave  exigency  justified  the 
order,  it  should  have  been  kept  secret  as  the  grave.  If 
they  found  Sherman  was  playing  the  traitor,  their  pre- 
cautions should  have  been  concealed.  In  any  aspect,  the 
publication  of  this  paper  seems  the  grossest  folly  or  the 
meanest  malice.  If  justified  by  events,  it  was  a  blunder  to 


ANIMADVERSIONS    AND   DEFENCE.  207 

publish  their  plans ;  but  when  viewed  by  the  light  of  events, 
it  was  a  most  gross  public  insult  heaped  upon  a  soldier 
while  in  the  successful  discharge  of  the  highest  duties. 
The  writer  of  this  does  not  know  that  either  Stanton  or 
Halleck  authorized  its  publication,  but  he  does  know  the 
withering  effect  it  had  upon  Sherman's, reputation,  not  for 
what  was  alleged  in  it,  but  from  what  was  fairly  implied 
from  it.  Why  is  not  this  explained  ?  Who  published  it  ? 
Where  was  the  public  censor  then  ?  Why  not  now  an- 
nounce in  an  equally  specific  order  that  the  fears  upon 
which  it  was  based  proved  utteiiy  groundless  ?  If  Mr. 
Stanton  published  this  order,  and  will  not  now  openly  ac- 
knowledge that  it  was  founded  in  error,  he  continues  an 
insult  a«d  evinces  malice.  Then  he  must  expect  open  de- 
fiance and  insult,  and  neither  his  person  nor  rank  can 
shield  him. 

It  cannot  be  denied  that  after  this  order  was  issued,- 
while  the  telegraph  was  under  a  strict  military  censorship, 
the  public  mind  was  poisoned  against  General  Sherman  by 
telegrams  since  shown  to  be  false,  as  that  he  refused  to 
obey  the  summons  of  the  Congressional  committee ;  and 
that  facts  relieving  him  from  blame  were  not  stated,  as 
that  the  order  of  General  Weitzel  was  approved  by  Mr.  Lin- 
coln, but  afterwards  withdrawn.  And  this,  too,  while 
General  Sherman  was  beyond  the  reach  of  letter  or  tele- 
gram, actively  engaged  in  his  official  duties.  It  is  true 
that  Mr.  Stanton  neither  can  or  ought  to  control  the  press, 
and  is  often  roughly  handled  by  it.  Yet  had  not  an 
oificer  in  General  Sherman's  position  the  right  to  expect 
some  effort  on  the  part  of  his  department  to  stay  the  tide 
of  calumny,  the  very  moment  the  return  of  General  Grant 
with  the  unconditional  surrender  of  Johnston  proved  how 


208  GENERAL   SHEKMAN's   GREAT   MARCH. 

groundless  and  foolish  had  been  the  idle  fears  at  Wash- 
ington? 

Now,  it  is  plain  that  the  true  course  is  to  publish  the 
official  report ;  to  respect  the  natural  resentment  of  a 
soldier  sensitive  on  account  of  a  palpable  wrong  ;  to  avoid 
mingling  personal  feelings  with  the  general  joy  over  great 
triumphs;  to  neither  force  nor  oppose  public  judgment 
upon  the  merits  of  a  controversy  no  longer  important  to 
the  nation,  and  leave  to  the  country  and  history  to  settle 
the  credit  due  to  the  prominent  actors  in  the  war.  The 
writer  of  this  is  not  disposed  to  belittle  either  the  ser- 
vices of  General  Sherman  or  the  energy  of  Mr.  Stanton, 
and  would  rather  see  both  expended  on  the  common 
enemy.  • 


CALL   FOB   VIRGINIA   LEGISLATURE.  209 


THE  CALL  FOR  THE  ASSEMBLING  OF  THE  EEBEL 
LEGISLATURE  OF  VIRGINIA. 


[As  General  Sherman  was  influenced  to  introduce  into  the  "  memoran- 
dum" of  agreement  entered  into  with  General  Johnston  the  recognition 
of  State  governments,  from  the  permission  given  by  the  Federal  authori- 
ties for  the  meeting  of  the  Virginia  Legislature,  the  "call"  for  such  meet- 
ing is  here  given.  This  is  prefaced  by  the  order  of  President  Lincoln  to 
General  Weitzel,  authorizing  such  permission.  The  order  was  handed  to 
General  Weitzel  by  Senator  Wilkinson  on  the  morning  of  April  7th. 
General  Weitzel  afterwards  saw  the  committee  who  prepared  the  "  call," 
which  he  approved  for  publication.  On  the  12th,  the  day  after  its  pro- 
mulgation, General  Weitzel  received  a  telegram  from  President  Lincoln, 
in  Washington,  to  annul  the  call,  as  the  necessity  for  it  had  passed.] 


HEADQTJABTERS  ARMIES  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES, 
City  Point,  April  6,  1865. 

Major-General  WEITZEL,  Richmond,  Va.  : 

It  has  been  intimated  to  me  that  the  gentlemen  who  have  acted 
as  the  Legislature  of  Virginia,  in  support  of  the  rebellion,  may  now 
desire  to  assemble  at  Richmond  and  take  measures  to  withdraw  the 
Virginia  troops  and  other  support  from  resistance  to  the  General 
'Government.  If  they  attempt  it,  give  them  permission  and  pro- 
tection, until,  if  at  all,  they  attempt  some  action  hostile  to  the 
United  States ;  in  which  case  you  will  notify  them,  giving  them 
reasonable  time  to  leave,  and  at  the  end  of  which  time  arrest  any 
who  remain.  Allow  Judge  Campbell  to  see  this,  but  do  not  make 
it  public. 

Yours,  etc., 

A.  LINCOLN. 


210  GENERAL   SHERMAN'S   GREAT   MARCH. 


TO   THE   PEOPLE   OF  VIRGINIA. 

The  undersigned,  members  of  the  Legislature  of  the 
State  of  Virginia,  in  connection  with  a  number  of  the 
citizens  of  the  State,  whose  names  are  attached  to  this 
paper,  in  view  of  the  evacuation  of  the  city  of  Richmond 
by  the  Confederate  Government,  and  its  occupation  by  the 
military  authorities  of  the  United  States,  the  surrender  of 
the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia,  and  suspension  of  the 
jurisdiction  of  the  civil  power  of  the  State,  are  of  the 
opinion  that  an  immediate  meeting  of  the  General  Assembly 
of  the  State  is  asked  for  by  the  exigencies  of  the  situa- 
tion. 

The  consent  of  the  military  authorities  of  the  United 
States  to  a  session  of  the  Legislature  in  Richmond,  in  con- 
nection with  the  governor  and  lieutenant-governor ;  to  their 
free  deliberation  upon  public  affairs,  and  to  the  ingress  and 
departure  of  all  its  members  under  safe  conduct,  has  been 
obtained. 

The  United  States  authorities  will  afford  transportation 
from  any  point  under  their  control  to  any  of  the  persons 
before  mentioned. 

The  matters  to  be  submitted  to  the  Legislature  are,  the 
restoration  of  peace  to  Virginia,  and  an  adjustment  of  the 
questions  involving  life,  liberty,  and  property,  that  have' 
arisen  in  the  State  as  a  consequence  of  war. 

We  therefore  earnestly  request  the  governor,  lieutenant- 
governor,  and  members  of  the  Legislature  to  repair  to  this 
city  by  the  25th  of  April  instant. 

We  understand  that  full  protection  to  persons  and 
property  will  be  afforded  in  the  State ;  and  we  recommend 
to  peaceful  citizens  to  remain  at  their  homes  and  pursue 


CALL   FOR   VIRGINIA   LEGISLATURE.  211 

their  usual  avocations  with  confidence  that  they  will  not  be 
interrupted. 

We  earnestly  solicit  the  attendance  in  Richmond,  on  or 
before  the  25th  of  April  instant,  of  the  following  persons, 
citizens  of  Virginia,  to  confer  with  us  as  to  the  best  means 
of  restoring  peace  to  the  State  of  Virginia. 

We  have  procured  safe  conduct  from  the  military  au- 
thorities of  the  United  States  for  them  to  enter  the  city 
and  depart  without  molestation. 

The  Hons.  R.  M.  Hunter,  A.  T.  Carpenter,  Wm.  C. 
Rives,  John  Letcher,  A.  H.  H.  Stuart,  R.  L.  Montague, 
Fayette  M,  Mullen,  J.  P.  Holcombe,  Alexander  Rives,  B. 
Johnson  Barbour,  James  Barbour,  Wm.  L.  Goggin,  J.  B. 
Baldwin,  Thomas  S.  Gholson,  Walter  Staples,  Thomas  J. 
Randolph,  Wm.  T.  Early,  R.  A.  Claybrook,  John  ditcher 
Williams,  T.  H.  Eppes,  and  those  other  persons  for  whom 
passports  have  been  procured,  and  especially  others  whom 
we  consider  it  unnecessary  to  mention. 

A.  J.  MARSHALL,  senator  from  Fauquier. 

JOHN  WESSON,  senator  from  Marion. 

JAMES  VENABLE,  senator  elect  from  Petersburg. 

DAVID  J.  BURR,  of  the  House  of  Delegates,  from  Richmond. 

DAVID  J.  SAUNDERS,  of  the  House  of  Delegates,  Richmond  city. 

D.  S.  WALL,  of  the  House  of  Delegates,  Wetzel  county. 

J.  J.  ENGLISH,  of  the  House  of  Delegates,  Henrico  county. 

Mr.  AMBERS,  of  the  House  of  Delegates,  Chesterfield  county. 

A.  M.  KEITZ,  Hou"se  of  Delegates,  Petersburg. 

H.  W.  THOMAS,  second  auditor,  Virginia. 

Lieutenant  L.  L.  MONCCRE,  chief  clerk,  second  auditor's  office. 

JOSEPH  MAYO,  mayor,  city  of  Richmond. 

ROBERT  S.  HOWARD,  clerk  Hustings  Court,  Richmond  city. 

THOS.  W.  DUDLEY,  sergeant,  Richmond  city. 

LITTLETON  TAZEWELL,  Commonwealth's  attorney,  Richmond  city. 

WM.  T.  JAYNES,  judge  of  the  Circuit  Court  of  Petersburg. 

JOHN  A.  MEREDITH,  judge  Circuit  Court,  Richmond. 


212  GKNKRAL    8 HERMAN'S    GRKAT   MARCH. 

WM.  H.  LYONS,  judge  Hustings  Court,  Richmond. 

WM.  C.  WICKHAM,  member  of  Congress,  Richmond. 

BERBY  S.  EWELL,  president  William  and  Mary  College. 

NAT.  TYLER,  editor  Richmond  Enquirer. 

R.  F.  WALKER,  publisher  Examiner. 

J.  R.  ANDERSON,  Richmond. 

R.  R.  HOMISON,  Richmond. 

W.  GoDDm,  Richmond. 

P.  G.  BAGLEY,  Richmond. 

F.  J.  SMITH,  Richmond. 

FRANKLIN  STEMS,  Henrico. 

JOHN  LYON,  Petersburg. 

THOMAS  B.  HEISHER,  Fauquier. 

WM.  M.  HARRISON,  Charles  City. 

CYRUS  HALL,  Ritchie. 

THOS.  W.  GARNETT,  Bang  and  Queen. 

JAMES  A.  SCOTT,  Richmond. 

I  concur  in  the  preceding  recommendation. 

J.  A.  CAMPBELL. 

Approved  for  publication  in  the  Whig,  and  in  handbill 

form. 

G.  WEITZEL, 

Major-General  commanding,  Richmond,  Va. 
April  11, 1865. 


LETTER  TO   COLONEL   BOWMAN.  213 


LETTER  FROM  GENERAL  SHERMAN. 

[T7te  following  characteristic  letter,  addressed  to  Colonel  JSowman,  of 
Washington,  forms  an  appropriate  conclusion  to  this  work.] 

CAMP  NEAR  ALEXANDRIA,  VA.,  May  19. 

DEAR  BOWMAN — I  am  just  arrived.  All  ray  army  will 
be  in  to-day.  I  have  been  lost  to  the  world  in  the  woods 
for  some  time.  Yet,  on  arriving  at  the  "settlements," 
found  I  had  made  quite  a  stir  among  the  people  at  home, 
and  that  the  most  sinister  motives  have  been  ascribed  to 
me. 

I  have  made  frequent  official  reports  of  my  official  action 
in  all  public  matters,  and  all  of  them  have  been  carefully 
suppressed,  while  the  most  ridiculous  nonsense  has  been 
industriously  spread  abroad  through  all  the  newspapers. 
Well !  you  know  what  importance  I  attach  to  such  mat- 
ters, and  that  I  have  been  too  long  fighting  with  real 
rebels,  with  muskets  in  their  hands,  to  be  scared  by  mere 
non-combatants,  no  matter  how  high  their  civil  rank  or 
station. 

It  is  amusing  to  observe  how  brave  and  firm  some  men 
become  when  all  danger  is  past.  I  have  noticed  on  fields 
of  battle  brave  men  never  insult  the  captured  or  mutilate 
the  dead ;  but  cowards  and  laggards  always  do.  I  cannot 
now  recall  the  act,  but  Shakespeare  records  how  poor  Fal- 
staff,  the  prince  of  cowards  and  wits,  rising  from  a  figured 
death,  stabbed  again  the  dead  Percy,  and  carried  the  car- 
cass aloft  in  triumph  to  prove  his  valor.  So  now,  when 
the  rebellion  in  our  land  is  dead,  many  FalstafPs  appear  to 
brandish'  the  evidence  of  their  valor,  and  seek  to  win  ap- 


214:       GENERAL  SHERMAN'S  GREAT  MARCH. 

plause,  and  to  appropriate  honors  for  deeds  that  never  were 
done. 

As  to  myself,  I  ask  no  popularity,  no  reward ;  but  I 
dare  the  War  Department  to  publish  my  official  letters  and 
reports.  I  assert  that  my  official  reports  have  been  pur- 
posely suppressed,  while  all  the  power  of  the  press  has 
been  malignantly  turned  against  me. 

I  do  want  peace  and  security,  and  the  return  to  law  and 
justice  from  Maine  to  the  Rio  Grande ;  and  if  it  does  not 
exist  now,  substantially,  it  is  for  state  reasons  beyond  my 
comprehension.  It  may  be  thought  strange  that  one  who 
has  no  fame  but  as  a  soldier,  should  have  been  so  careful 
to  try  to  restore  the  civil  power  of  the  Government,  and 
the  peaceful  jurisdiction  of  the  Federal  courts  ;  but  it  is 
difficult  to  discover  in  that  fact  any  just  cause  of  offence  to 
an  enlightened  and  free  people.  But  when  men  choose  to 
slander  and  injure  others,  they  can  easily  invent  the  facts 
for  the  purpose  when  the  proposed  victim  is  far  away,  en- 
gaged in  public  service  of  their  own  bidding.  But  there 
is  consolation  in  knowing  that,  though  truth  lies  at  the 
bottom  of  a  well,  the  Yankees  have  perseverance  enough 
to  get  to  that  bottom. 

Yours  truly, 

W.  T.  SHERMAN. 


X 


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OOLD1ERS'    J^ETTERS: 

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FROM  SOLDIERS.  BOTH  OFFICERS  AND  PRIVATES, 

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PERSONAL   ADVENTURES   IN    THE   GREAT    REBELLION. 

EDITED  BY  LYDIA  MINTURN  POST. 

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